A Few More F Words
by anhanninen
Summary: *Repost* Fatherhood sequel. Five year old Sofia is starting school and Edward can't help but feel his baby is growing up too fast. While he and Bella try to juggle a hyper little girl, careers, and their relationship, they find out their lives are about to change once more. All Human
1. Chapter 1

***Repost***

 **Chapter One: First Day**

As I watched Little One stumble, trying to mimic whatever fucking move it was that the teacher wanted her to do, I felt the burn of tears in my eyes. Jesus Christ, _I_ was about to cry. My little one was five years old and tomorrow, she'd be starting kindergarten. Where the hell had the time gone? It felt like just yesterday I watched her crawl for the first time and got so excited that I recorded it. But here she was now, attempting to dance without falling over. She wasn't doing a very good job at it, by the way.

I didn't know how the hell it happened, but even though Bella wasn't her biological mom, Sofia seemed to be just like her — down to the coordination. She would even bite her lip when she was nervous, which she was doing right now. The teacher had the girls stop, and Little One was biting her lip, looking down at her feet because she was afraid the teacher would criticize her for not getting the moves right.

"All right, I think that's enough for tonight," the teacher, Ms. Bartlett said, smiling. "Pack up and go home. I'll see you next week."

As the girls disbanded, Ms. Bartlett pulled Sofia aside. I quickly grabbed the pink duffle bag and walked over, wanting to make sure she wasn't being mean to my kid. Luckily for her, she wasn't. She offered Little One words of encouragement and told her to practice at home. Honestly, I didn't know why Sofia wanted to keep coming back here. Bella and I put her in the class a few weeks ago so she could make friends, but it was clear ballet wasn't going to be her skill. Still, we offered her a chance out and she didn't take it.

Little One shuffled over to me, putting her arms out for me to pick her up. "You're getting better," I said, kissing her cheek.

She looked at me, pouting. "I suck, Daddy. I sweaw I'm twying, though."

"I know you are, Little One. Let's go home and see what Mommy's up to, all right? I heard this rumor that she's making spaghetti for dinner." I smiled, walking out of the studio.

"Wealy?" she asked, eyes wide with a smile.

"Really," I chuckled, unlocking the car.

Once I had her buckled into the booster seat, we headed to our house on the outskirts of Forks. The move here was probably the best thing we could have done, and though I wish Charlie hadn't had his heart attack, I was thankful we left Port Angeles. Forks Community Hospital certainly wasn't the busiest place, but I enjoyed it. I still performed surgery, but with a hospital so small, I got to work in other departments, too. And I still worked at Olympic Medical Center when Emmett needed me. It was the best of both worlds. I was home by five most days, but other days I had difficult, time consuming surgeries that I loved. I was so fucking happy, even though just a few short years ago I never wanted any of this. If I could kick myself, I would.

Little One and I got home just after six, and we found Bella in the kitchen, just finishing up. I set Sofia down on her feet and whispered in her ear, "Go surprise hug Mommy."

She tiptoed over and threw her arms around Bella's legs, yelling, "I got ya!"

Bella laughed and turned around to pick her up. "You did, sweet girl. You scared Mommy so good." She put her hand over her heart and sighed dramatically. "I'm not sure my heart will ever return to normal."

"Daddy!" Little One yelled needlessly. "I scawed Mommy _sooo_ good!"

"I saw," I laughed, pressing my lips to Bella's.

"Yucky! Put me down."

She put Sofia down, and I pulled her against my chest, kissing her deeper as I caressed that spot behind her ear. We parted, smiling. "I missed you," I said.

"I missed you, too. Dinner is about done, so why don't you go make sure Sofia can get out of her leotard without maiming herself?"

"Good idea," I laughed. "I love you."

I softly kissed her once more. "I love you, too," she said.

Thankfully, Little One managed to put a t-shirt and shorts on all by herself. We washed our hands together, and she sang the song we had made up. Well, Bella had made up. I had no part in creating a song about washing away germs with the puffy, pink colored soap. But hey, if it got her to do it, I was game.

I carried my squealing child over my shoulder back downstairs for dinner, just in time for Bella to put the plates down. Of course Little One ate that shit up, making a mess of her face. Yeah, Bella's spaghetti was a favorite of mine and Sofia's, but at least I kept myself clean.

"So, what did Nana do with you and Ben today?" Bella asked Little One.

"Pawk! But Ben was a meanie and pushed me down, Mommy," she said, frowning. "Nana gaves him a time out, though. And afta that, we went to the flowa place and I got to make a . . . bucket, wight?"

I smiled. "Bouquet, but close."

"Yeah, so that was fun. Then she dwopped me off with Daddy, and I got to play in his office," she said, taking another large bite of spaghetti.

"She made sure Sally was healthy," I laughed, remembering her using my stethoscope to listen to her doll's nonexistent heart. Fuck, my kid was adorable.

"That sounds like such a fun day, sweetie," Bella said. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

Little One nodded with her mouth full. "You be thewah, wight?"

"Swallow, baby," I said, picking up another bite.

She chewed and swallowed. "Sowy."

"It's all right." Bella smiled. "And yes, I'll be there, but remember you're not in my class. You're in Mrs. Peter's class."

"I know, Mommy," she sighed, not liking it.

When she found out Bella wouldn't be here teacher, Little One threw a fit and decided she wouldn't be going to school. We had to sit down with her and explain that mommies weren't allowed to teach their kids, but that school would still be fun. After crying and throwing her stuffed animals — which earned her a time out — she finally agreed to go to school as long as she could have lunch with Mommy. Little One's temper tantrums were fucking frightening, let's just say. Apparently, she got that from me, according to Mom. Yeah, I could see that.

Once we had finished dinner, Bella took Little One upstairs for her bath as I did dishes. It was our deal since she cooked, and I didn't mind it. Bella did so much every day, so a little dishes and trash were nothing to me.

"She wants to play Barbies with us," Bella said, wrapping her arms around my stomach. "I told her to get them out, and we'd be up soon."

"Barbies," I chuckled softly, shaking my head.

Who would have thought I'd be playing Barbies with my daughter? Sure as hell not me, but then again, I had also worn a tutu and had tea time with her. The pictures were deleted, by the way.

I turned around as Bella kept her arms around me and dipped my head to kiss her. When we parted, she bit her lip, hiding a smile. "You'll always be my Nibbles," I said, smirking.

"Damn," she laughed.

After a good while of moving a Barbie doll around, playing out some imaginary wedding that Little One had come up with, we cleaned up and put her in bed. Bella and I lay on either side of her and read _Where the Wild Thing Are,_ taking turns on each page. Not long into the book, I looked down to find Sofia drifting off. Her little mouth opened wide with a yawn as she rested her head against my chest. Once she was asleep, we stopped reading and quietly got out of bed.

I pulled the blankets up to her shoulders and leaned down, kissing her forehead. "Sleep well, Little One," I whispered.

Bella did the same, and then we tiptoed out of her room and pulled her door to. I put my arm over her shoulder as we headed back downstairs. Our nightly goal of getting Little One in bed by eight was a success tonight, which considering tomorrow was her first days of kindergarten, was unbelievable.

"I think your mom wore her out today," Bella laughed as we sat down on the couch and I pulled her into my arms.

"Park plus no nap is a good thing, apparently. Add in ballet and I'm surprised she didn't pass out early."

"How was she tonight?"

"Same. Two left feet, just like her mom." I smirked. "She still doesn't want to quit, but she thinks she sucks. I mean, I'll never say it to her, but she kind of does."

"Edward!" she said, slapping my chest. "She's just . . . new. I'm sure with practice she'll get better."

I snorted. "Have you seen her? The second she hurts herself — which I'm pretty sure is coming — she's done."

"We'll have to start looking into other things, then. She likes the interaction with other kids. Maybe she'll want to quit once she starts school."

"God, I hope so," I sighed. "So, how was your day? Did you get your classroom all set up?"

Bella had finally gotten a job here in Forks last year after one of the kindergarten teachers retired. It worked out pretty well, actually. We put Sofia in preschool and daycare afterwards, so she got to make friends and interact with people she didn't know. Bella missed being home with her, but she was also ready to get back to work.

She nodded, leaning into me. "I did. I'm excited for tomorrow, especially since I'll have my little girl with me."

"Lucky you."

"What about you? How was your day?"

"Good, I spent most of it in the ER. I saw your dad, by the way. He said he's going to come over tomorrow to see how Sofia did at school."

She smiled up at me, cocking her head. "How are _you_ doing with that?"

I shook my head. "I can't believe it's time. Putting her in preschool was hard enough. I don't think I'm ready for kindergarten."

"If you cry, I'm taking pictures."

"I about did today, Bella. When I was watching her during ballet, I kept thinking how the time has passed too quickly. Doesn't it seem like just yesterday she talked for the first time?"

"It does. You know, I'm still amazed that 'fuck' wasn't her first word." She smirked.

"Well, it wasn't. That didn't come out until close to her first birthday," I chuckled lowly. Yeah, that wasn't cool, and her doing it near Mom was even worse. "But it does seem too quick, right? She's growing up too fast. Before I know it, she'll be dating and I'll be a murderer."

"Nice," she laughed.

I kissed the top of her head. "I just . . . she's all we have."

She sat up and turned to face me as a smile played on her lips. "What if she wasn't?"

"Bella, we've been trying for a long time. I want another kid too, but it's not happening."

"Well . . . it has."

My eyes widened as I sat up. "What?"

She placed her hand against her stomach and nodded. "I was going to tell you tomorrow night. You know, make something cute out of it, but yeah, Edward, I'm pregnant."

I stared at her flat stomach in awe. She was _pregnant_. Not long after we had gotten married three years ago, we had decided we wanted another baby, but we waited until last year for her to go off of the pill. It just wasn't the right time. Little One was a toddler — a handful, really — so we waited until she started preschool to start trying. Only it didn't happen. We didn't push it, but instead decided to just go about as usual and when it happened, it happened. But after a year, it hadn't. We didn't talk about it much, but there had been a short discussion of involving a fertility specialist. We decided against it right now, though. We figured we'd give it a little more time.

"You're . . . pregnant." I smiled, laying my hand against hers. "With my baby."

She laughed. "Of course it's yours! Who else's would it be?"

"Well, I'd hope no one's," I chuckled. "Bella, we're having a baby."

She nodded. "I know. I didn't believe it when I first thought of it, but I'm two weeks late. It made sense, so I bought a test on my way home today."

I pulled her into my arms and pressed my lips to hers. Our tongues moved together as my hand slid under her shirt and laid against her flat stomach. In just a few short months, I'd feel a baby move. My baby. I fucking hated that I didn't get that with Little One, so I was already planning on making the most out of this. Bella, my _wife_ , was having my baby. Little One would be a big sister, and I'd be a dad again. Maybe I wouldn't be so freaked out over every little thing this time.

Who the hell was I kidding? Yes, I would.

"I love you so much," I said, pressing my forehead to hers. "Bella, I'll never be able to thank you enough for loving me — for trusting me to be the man you thought I could be. We're going to be parents again. Holy shit."

She pecked my lips softly. "If this baby's first word is a curse, I'm divorcing you."

I laughed, picking her up off of the couch. "Sure, Nibbles, sure."

I carried her upstairs, trying to be quiet so we wouldn't wake Sofia. The kid had just become more of a cockblocker as she got older, so I didn't get as many chances as I wanted to make love to my wife. Tonight, though, she was passed out, and I locked the door behind me before laying Bella down.

I took my time taking her clothes off and kissing every inch of her. Her head fell back on the pillow as she moaned, asking for more. I placed my hand against her stomach, moving down slowly as goose bumps rose on her skin. She parted her legs, begging for me.

I kissed her, nibbling on her lip. "I've missed you," I whispered, moving my fingers into her, pumping slowly, finding her so fucking ready for me. I couldn't wait any longer. It had been almost two weeks, after all.

I moved between her legs, pushing into her slowly, relishing the feeling of being in my Bella. My beautiful, beautiful Bella. God, she was amazing.

 **. . . . .**

"Daddy, it's not wight!" Sofia yelled, fucking up the French braid pigtails Bella had done before she left.

Bella had to be at the school early today, so she helped Little One get dressed and ready before breakfast. Of course now there was something wrong with the pigtails, and I was screwed because I couldn't fix them.

"Baby, you have to eat or we'll be late," I said, picking up her spoon and holding it out for her. "Please, if you finish quickly, we'll have Mommy fix them before anyone sees you."

She huffed, grabbing the spoon from my hand. Yeah, the morning wasn't going so great. I knew she was scared, but so was I, and her attitude wasn't helping. Today was my little one's first day of school. Fuck, I just wanted to go back to when she was a baby and couldn't talk or walk. I would have wanted to keep the potty training, though.

God bless potty training.

"You're going to make lots of new friends today and see some of your old ones, too," I said, rubbing her back as she ate. "Remember Macy from preschool? She'll be there."

"Weally? In my class?"

I nodded. "Yeah, we saw her a few days ago when we met your teacher. I'm sure there will be other kids you know there, too."

"But not you." She pouted. "And not Mommy."

I smiled, caressing her cheek. "I'll be there to pick you up, though, and you're having lunch with Mommy. You won't even have time to miss us."

"But it's _alllll_ day. That's not faiwah."

"It's not _alllll_ day," I mimicked. "Just until three o'clock. While you're there, I'll be at work like usual. You'll see me the same amount as always."

She shrugged, putting her spoon in the almost empty bowl. "I don't wanna go."

"I know, Little One." I kissed her cheek. "But you have to. Are you finished?"

She nodded, blowing out a dramatic breath. "Yeah."

Sofia took her sweet time, dragging her feet to the car. If I hadn't felt so bad for her, I would have been impressed with her tactics of wasting time. She forgot her lunchbox in the house, complained her seatbelt was too tight so I had to redo it, and last but not least, she had to potty again — you know, _after_ I fixed her seatbelt twice. Kid was resourceful.

"Would you like to listen to The Wiggles?" I asked, looking in the rear view mirror. She just shrugged, pouting. "Fine, Daddy's music, then."

"Wiggles," she mumbled.

I smiled to myself, turning on the god-awful music she liked. Only for her . . . and eventually, her sibling. I was still on a high after last night's news, and Little One's sour mood couldn't bring me down. Bella and I had decided to wait until she saw a doctor to tell people, just in case. She promised she'd call her doctor during lunch today, though. Hopefully, she could get in soon because I wanted to shout this from the rooftops.

When we got to the school — still early, thankfully — I texted Bella and asked her to come out and help with Little One's braids. While we waited, I got Sofia out and put her backpack on her. I blew a raspberry on her check, hoping to make her smile. Of course she couldn't resist it.

Point for Dad. "You look _so_ pretty," I said, fixing the strap on her backpack and pulling the sleeve of her dress down. It was pink with white polka dots on the skirt. She and Bella took forever to finally pick the outfit.

"Yeah?" she asked softly before biting her lower lip.

I smiled, nodding as I saw Bella approach us. "Yes. And here comes Mommy."

"Look at my baby!" Bella said, grinning. "Are you ready for school?"

I shook my head, mouthing, "No."

"Do I hafta?" Sofia asked as her pout returned.

"Aww, sweetie," Bella sighed, kneeling down. "You have to go to school. You're a big girl, right?"

Little One nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Well, you can't be a big girl if you don't go to school."

"But my piggy tails awen't wight."

Bella smiled, kissing her cheek. "Good thing Mommy's here then, huh? Turn around for me."

Bella worked her magic quickly, redoing the braids so they looked perfect again. Once Little One was satisfied with the look and feel, we took her hands and walked into the school. We were early, so no one else was in Little One's classroom except her teacher. We went to Sofia's cubby and put her lunchbox in there before finding her table. She sat down and bit her lip, looking around.

Bella said goodbye first, since she had to get to her classroom. She took Little One's hands and smiled. "You're going to have so much fun, sweetie," she said. "I'm right next door, but you won't need me. You're a big girl, and I know you can do this. Everyone will love you."

Sofia nodded. "M'kay. I love you, Mommy."

Bella kissed her forehead, lingering for a moment. "I love you, too. I'll see you at lunch, all right? We'll eat in my room, but if you find you want to eat with your new friends, that's okay, too."

We both hoped Little One would rather eat with her friends, but Bella certainly didn't mind if she wanted to eat with her, like planned. After kissing both of our daughter's cheeks, Bella stood up and we said goodbye after taking a few pictures — which Little One _did_ smile for. I took Bella's place, kneeling down beside Sofia.

"I'm gonna miss you, Daddy," she said.

"I'm going to miss you too, just like I do every day," I said. "Do you need anything? We have all your supplies in your backpack, remember?"

She nodded. "Yep."

I sighed, smiling even though my heart was fucking breaking. I _really_ wasn't ready for this. It was such a huge milestone in her life. From now on, she'd go to school. There'd be no more keeping her home with me on my days off or surprising her in the middle of the day to go to the park. "You're growing up, baby," I said.

"I'm a big girl." She smiled.

I nodded. "Yes, you are. You'll always be my little one, though."

She flew forward, wrapping her tiny arms around my neck. "Can you stay with me? Please?"

Damn, I wanted to so badly. "I'm afraid not." I patted her back. "I'll be here to pick you up, though. The hours will fly by. Let's look at the clock."

We pulled away, and I pointed to the big clock above the door. "See that three?" I asked.

She nodded, knowing her numbers.

"Well, when that big line points to it, I'll be here again."

"Pwomise?" she asked, looking at me with my own green eyes.

"I promise. You can tell me everything you did then, okay? I want to know it all."

"I'll tell you." She smiled.

I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her forehead. Little One hadn't cried, but I was about to if I didn't man up. Jesus, this was hard. "I'll see you soon. I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy. Do you hafta go now?"

I nodded. "I do. Sick people need me, remember?"

"Yeah, okay."

"Bye-bye, baby," I said, kissing her cheek one last time before I stood up and walked away, leaving her there.

Three o'clock needed to fucking hurry.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: First to Know**

" _Fuck_ ," I hissed, pulling Bella down to me, pressing my lips to hers as I came.

She panted my name, trembling in my arms after the third time I'd made her come tonight. It was Friday — well, Saturday morning, technically — and Little One was at my parents' house for the night. It was just Bella and me for once, and we took advantage of the empty house.

Once she'd calmed down, Bella rolled off of my chest, curling into my side as I pressed a kiss to her temple. She was so fucking gorgeous . . . red cheeks, light sweat, big eyes looking up at me. Tonight had been _amazing_ , especially after the stress from the last week with starting Sofia in school and falling back into a normal routine.

"You're so beautiful," I said, moving a strand of hair from her forehead.

She smiled up at me. "Thank you. I'm . . . I'm going to need a break now," she giggled softly as I grinned proudly.

"Yeah, me too."

She rested her head against my chest as I caressed her lower back. We just laid there for a few moments, talking about nothing of importance before walking downstairs together. She pulled her robe tighter before opening the freezer, pulling a tub of Ben and Jerry's out and grabbing two spoons.

"Ice cream after sex . . . nice," I said, smirking and sitting down at the bar. She sat down next to me and peeled off the lid before digging right in.

"I think it tastes better this way," she giggled. "Either that or I was _really_ craving Cherry Garcia, which means you can thank the baby."

I smiled, resting my hand against her flat stomach. From her last period, I'd estimated that she was about six week along. Her first prenatal appointment wasn't for another two weeks, so we really didn't know any certainties yet. I wasn't thrilled we had to wait so long to get in, but I knew most OBs didn't see a woman until she was eight to ten weeks anyway. It wasn't like an ultrasound would show anything yet, either.

I was just so damn anxious about everything. I'd never experienced a pregnancy before, so this was all new and . . . well, it was pretty fucking scary. I worried that there was something wrong with the baby or something would happen to Bella. Hell, I'd even gone over all the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy with her, making sure she wasn't experiencing any of them.

"Does everything, you know, seem all right?" I asked.

She nodded, smiling. "I'm fine, Edward. The amazing sex we just had didn't hurt the baby."

I laughed. "I _did_ know that. I just wanted to make sure you were feeling okay."

"I'm great, actually, though . . . the house does seem kind of empty without Sofia."

I sighed, nodding. It _really_ did. We hadn't been loaning the kid out much recently, which meant less alone time, but more time to spend with our daughter. Tonight was actually the first night she'd stayed with my parents in months, and it was just strange not having her here. I missed my little one. There was no bathroom disaster, no bedtime story, or kiss good night.

"I guess we should enjoy it, though," Bella said. "I mean, in a few short months, we'll have _two_ kids to take care of. Back to midnight feedings, poopy diapers, nonstop crying . . ." She trailed off.

"But we're ready for it, right?"

She smiled, caressing her stomach. " _Yes_. I can't wait to see you with another baby. You know, that's really why I fell in love with you. You're lucky the attraction's still there," she teased.

"Ha, good one."

She put her spoon down and licked her lips before scrunching her nose up. Her tells were pretty simple — or maybe I just knew her well enough — and the nose scrunch was the most obvious. Naught but moments later, she hurried off of the stool, head over the trash can. It hadn't happened _that_ many times — for which I was thankful — but if Bella hadn't figured out she was knocked up a few days ago, it'd have been pretty obvious now with the morning sickness.

I rubbed her back after grabbing a napkin, holding it out for her once she finished. "Maybe after-sex ice cream wasn't the best idea," I said, brushing her hair from her eyes.

She huffed, balling the napkin up in her hand and tossing it into the bag. "No, but at least that's easier than the Chinese food yesterday."

"Yeah, you should probably avoid spicy shit for a while. Here, I'll take this out while you get a bath."

She nodded, smiling lightly. "Thank you, and I expect you'll join me?"

I kissed her forehead. "Of course, Nibbles."

 **. . . . .**

After I'd taken the trash out, I found Bella upstairs in our bathroom, filling the giant ass tub with half the bottle of bubble bath shit. She just smirked and took her robe off, stepping into the half full tub.

"It smells like my mother's flower shop in here," I chuckled, dropping my pants.

"Lovely, right?"

"Sure, we'll go with that."

She giggled, moving forward as I slid in behind her. She rested back against my chest, taking my hand and putting it over her stomach. "Do you want another girl?" she asked.

"I don't care." Okay . . . maybe I was rooting for a boy a _little_ bit. I needed to reclaim my masculinity after all the tea parties and playing house I'd done. I didn't want to say it out loud, though, because I'd sure as hell get another girl. "As long as it's healthy, I'll be happy."

"I kind of want a boy." She looked back at me, pressing her hand to the side of my face. "He'll be just as handsome as his daddy, and I'm sure he'll be quite the charmer, too."

"Oh, I'm charming?"

"No, I am," she laughed. "Admit it. You want one, too."

I shrugged. "I don't want to jinx it."

"Its gender is already decided, _doctor_."

"True, and I've already made one girl, so . . . I really do just want it to be healthy. I think if I survived Sofia, I'll survive another girl. I won't let you corrupt this one with pink shit, though."

She rolled her eyes before laying her head back against my shoulder. "You looked dashing in that tutu."

I moved my lips against her neck, sucking softly. "I'm _always_ dashing."

She tilted her head more, letting me move up and down along her jaw. My hand moved lower on her stomach, between her legs as she parted herself more for me. I moved my thumb against her clit, grinning at the gasp that came from her. I pushed two fingers into her, enjoying her warmth around me.

"You're so fucking perfect, you know that?" I asked, nipping at her ear.

She moaned as my fingers moved quicker into her and my thumb circled her clit. Her hand came up around my head, grasping my hair between her fingers. My other hand cupped her breast, brushing over her nipple.

It wasn't long before I felt her tighten around my fingers. "Edward," she cried breathlessly, pushing her body against my hand, moving with me. My name continued to pour from her lips, joined by God's and a few fucks. My wife was so damn perfect, and I could honestly listen to her all night long.

 **. . . . .**

The bathroom was mess by the time we were done, and we'd decided to worry about it the next day. Bella and I lay down and I wound up sleeping until nine — which was practically unheard of. I got up, leaving Bella alone in bed. She was exhausted, so I didn't dare wake her on a day I didn't have to. The first trimester of any pregnancy was exhausting, adding that to caring for a rambunctious five year old and working, she had every right to stay in bed as long as she damn well pleased.

I went downstairs and started coffee so I didn't bother her. As I waited for her to get up, I did some work I'd brought home and enjoyed not watching cartoons for once. The silence was _beautiful_ and without having Little One here to distract me, I finished my work quickly. Of course right after I closed my laptop and put my shit away, my phone began ringing.

It was Mom, so I quickly put it to my ear. Before I could say anything, though, Little One did. "Hi, Daddy!"

"Hi, baby girl," I said. "Does Nana know you have her phone?"

Sofia's ability to swipe phones and use them better than most adults was a little freaky at times. I actually had to put a fucking password on mine to keep her out, but apparently four eights wasn't very hard to break and I'd wound up with a new background of her eye.

"Uh-huh, she told me to call you," she said. "We gonna go to a movie, okay?"

"You have to _ask_ him, sweetheart," I heard Mom say.

"Oh, can we go to a movie, Daddy? Please?"

I chuckled, nodding to myself. "Yes, but may I talk to Nana?"

"Thank you!" she yelled before Mom took the phone from her.

"We saw a commercial and she _begged_ , Edward," Mom laughed. "They're playing _The Lion King_ in theaters again. I didn't think you'd mind, but I wasn't sure what your plans were today."

"It's fine," I said, pouring another cup of coffee. "We really don't have any, so as long as you guys _want_ to take her, I don't care."

"Great! And why don't you and Bella just come over for dinner this evening and pick her up then?"

Actually, that sounded pretty fucking great. It'd give Bella another night off of cooking and meant she could just relax all day. "I'll ask Bella when she gets up, but that sounds good to me. Thank you for taking Sofia last night. Was she good?"

"Of course! Her and Pawpaw had a _pretty_ intense game of hide and seek, and then we watched _Tangled_ together and ate ice cream way after her bedtime."

I smiled to myself. My kid probably just had to bat her eyelashes at Dad to get ice cream when she should have been sleeping. He was the biggest pushover in the world for his only granddaughter. "Sounds like she had the same thought as Bella," I said. "Just let me know when you want us there, all right?"

"I will. I'll see you later. I love you."

"Love you too, Mom. Bye."

After I hung up the phone, I looked toward the staircase and found Bella finally coming down. She looked at the cup of coffee in my hand and pouted. I tried so damn hard not to laugh.

"I don't think you should get to drink coffee if I can't," she said, walking into my out stretched arm. She tilted her head up and I kissed her softly.

"I can start a pot of decaf."

She narrowed her eyes. "That's not even funny."

While she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, I hid my amusement and pulled the box of Cheerios from the cabinet for her. As she ate, I told her about Mom's offer and she was fine with it, of course. We hadn't told anyone about the pregnancy yet and I promised I wouldn't spill it over dinner because, well, I'd be the one to do it.

We spent the day around the house and I helped her with laundry between shitty old movies that she happened to love. I wound up taking a nap through one of them, actually. It was heaven.

"We need to do Sofia's speech therapy homework tomorrow," Bella reminded me as she sat back down on the couch, moving against my side as I wrapped my arm with her.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll help her with it before dinner or something."

Even though we'd always tried to get Little One to and pronounce the R sound, it just wasn't happening. I found the mispronunciation fucking adorable, but I knew that if we didn't try to get her to talk correctly now, it'd be even harder as she got older. Luckily, the school had a speech therapist and she was put into the program. She had a half hour session twice a week, and she said it was fun so far. Plus, the teacher gave the kids stickers. Stickers were like crack for Little One.

"And _you_ have to be at the school next Friday for career day," she said. "You have the morning off, right?"

My blank stare made her eyes grow wide. I'd kind of forgotten, actually. "I'll get it off."

"You said you would last year too, but you couldn't! Edward, you promised."

"I'll be there." I tightened my arm around her, kissing her temple. "Stop freaking out, okay? I'm pretty sure I don't have anything scheduled, so I'll just go in late."

"Did you at least make sure to take off the eighteenth for my prenatal appointment?"

"Yes, I did do that. See? I'm not that awful . . . just a little bit." I smirked.

The corner of her mouth turned up slightly. "Yeah, just a little awful. I'm sorry. I'm just . . . frazzled, I guess. You did forget career day, though, so I get to be upset with you."

I nodded. "Yep, so do I have to suffer through another movie?"

"No, but only because I need to go shower. Maybe I'll spank you tonight," she laughed.

"I'm not sure I'm into that, but if it ends with sex, I'll try it."

She rolled her eyes, smiling. "Nope, you've gotten plenty lately. I think the thing inside of me, sucking every bit of energy out of me is proof of that."

The only reason I didn't cry was because her hormones would eventually go apeshit, and she'd jump me soon enough. I was looking forward to that . . . along with her boobs that already seemed to be a little fuller.

 **AFMFW**

When we got to my parent's house and walked inside, Little One was quick to come running. I swung her up into my arms, kissing her cheek as she squeezed my neck before she went after Bella.

"I missed you, sweet girl," Bella said, taking her hand as she led us into the living room.

"I missed you too, Mommy," Sofia said. "Guess what I got to see today? Lion King!"

"Oh, really? I bet that was _awesome_!"

Little One nodded her head fervently. "It was! Nana and Pawpaw took me and it was _sooo_ awesome! I even gots a special cup! Look!"

She picked it up off of the couch, holding it out to Bella and me. Dad told me she'd been good and didn't throw a hissy fit when they refused to get her more candy. That wasn't a small feat, let's just say.

"I'm going to see if your mom needs help with dinner," Bella said as I sat down on the couch and Sofia crawled up onto my lap. "I'm so glad you had fun, sweetie."

Little One went on to tell me more about her night with my parents, looking at Dad to confirm everything. He was grinning, nodding along and adding details she'd forgotten.

"I'm gonna go see Mommy," Little One said, sliding off of my lap.

"Okay, but don't get in their way," I said.

Once she disappeared into the kitchen, Dad and I talked a little about my work. I hadn't been named chief of surgery yet at Forks, but it was looking like a distinct possibility within the next year or two. Dr. James would be retiring soon, handing his job to the current chief of surgery, Dr. Aro Valente.

"How's the clinic?" I asked.

Dad had been working part-time at the free clinic in town since he'd retired years ago. He and Mom actually donated a shit load of money to it each year, so he worked whenever he wanted. It wasn't something I'd want to do, but he enjoyed it. I couldn't imagine not being in an operating room.

He smiled. "It's doing very well, actually. The hospital has asked me to run it, though I turned it down. I've grown too accustomed to my free time and spending it with my grandchildren."

It took a while and few failed attempts for Rosalie and Emmett to conceive again, but they finally had another boy last December. His name was Felix, and Sofia fucking loved him, so I hoped that'd mean she'd adjust to her new sibling when it came time. I wasn't sure, though, because she tended to get jealous if Bella held Felix for too long. The new baby would be a _huge_ change and though I was excited, I worried about my little girl. When we were able to tell people, I planned to ask Rose for some tips. Ben seemed to transition well enough.

Once Mom came out to tell us dinner was ready, Dad and I headed into the dining room. I hadn't seen Mom yet, so I quickly hugged her, thanking her for inviting us. Dinner was fucking amazing, of course, and we talked about our lives and what had been going on. Little One was thrilled to tell my parents about her new friends in school.

"She was actually pretty scared her first day," I said, reaching for my glass. "But by the time I'd picked her up, she was back to herself, telling me she couldn't wait to go back."

"I made _soooo_ many fwiends," Little One said. "It's fun! And Mommy's class is wight next doowah and we have lunch togethewah and I gets to play with hewah at wecess."

Bella smiled, nodding. "Her teacher says she's been very good in class, too. We're so proud."

Little One just grinned, spooning another mouthful of Mom's homemade macaroni and cheese into her mouth.

As we continued to eat, I glanced next to me to find Bella putting her fork down. Oh, shit. I took her hand, squeezing it lightly as she looked up at me, grimacing. "Um, if you'll excuse me," she said, pushing her chair back.

She hurried out of the room toward the bathroom, and I quickly followed behind her. I held her hair back as she lost her dinner, apologizing between bouts. I figured we could pass it off as gastroenteritis, but my parents _might_ know better.

"Are you okay?" I asked, helping her up off of the floor.

She nodded, wiping her mouth with a tissue. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't keep it down."

I kissed her forehead and shook my head. "It's fine, Bella. We'll play it off as a stomach bug, all right?"

"Maybe we should tell them? I don't like lying."

"But if we tell them tonight, Sofia might hear. I don't want her to know just yet."

I really doubted there would be any issues with the pregnancy, but I didn't want Little One to know and then something happen. I mean, it was estimated that one in four pregnancies ended in miscarriage and Sofia was just too young to understand that.

"Me either," she sighed. "So . . . stomach bug? Will your dad buy that?"

"I think it's Mom we have to worry about," I chuckled lowly.

When Rosalie called a family dinner to tell us she was pregnant again, she barely got the words out before Mom said that she just knew it. The same thing happened when Alice and Jasper told her they were expecting Cynthia two years ago. Mom wasn't just a baby whisperer, but apparently a uterus whisperer as well.

"Shit," she cursed. "She probably knows already!"

"At least I didn't spill the beans." I smirked.

She slapped my chest, glaring at me. "Not funny, Edward. I need to get the bottle of mouthwash from my purse."

When we left the bathroom, Bella headed to the foyer for her purse while I went back into the dining room. Of course all eyes were on me, waiting for an explanation. I fucking sucked at lying to my parents.

"I think Bella's coming down with something," I said, putting Bella's plate over mine. "We should probably go."

"Is she okay?" Dad asked, brow furrowed in concern.

I nodded. "Yeah, yeah, just gastroenteritis probably. We'll stop at the pharmacy on the way home and pick up medicine. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"We should keep Sofia again tonight then," Mom said, standing up and taking the plates from me. "I wouldn't want her to get sick."

Dad nodded. "That's probably for the best, actually."

"No, I'll be fine," Bella said, coming back into the room. "I really don't even feel that bad. I'm so sorry for ruining dinner."

"Nonsense," Mom said. "You can't help feeling ill. Really, we have no problems with keeping Sofia another night."

"I can stay?" Little One asked, smiling.

I glanced at Bella, pleading for her to come up with a reason to take Sofia home. I really didn't like lying to my parents and having them keep Little One again because of it.

"Why don't you go wash up and play with your toys for a little bit?" Bella asked. "We need to talk to Nana and Pawpaw."

"I wanna stay again, though."

"Maybe," I said. "Go on upstairs and we'll talk about it."

She nodded, sliding off of the chair and heading upstairs to the room my parents had for her. Bella and I sat back down as Mom and Dad watched us closely. Suddenly, Mom smiled, looking at Bella.

Well, that didn't take long.

"Why don't you tell them, Edward," Bella said, looking up at me.

Okay, so I was pretty damn excited to share the news, and though waiting might have been better, this worked out pretty well. I grinned, squeezing Bella's hand. "Bella's pregnant. It's still early, but we're sure."

The high pitched sound that came from my mother about made my ears bleed. "Oh my God! Really?" she asked.

I nodded. "She's about six weeks. Her first prenatal appointment isn't for another two weeks, so that's just a guess. We were going to wait until after the appointment to tell you guys, actually."

"We just wanted to be sure everything was okay," Bella said.

"Well, morning sickness is always a good sign," Dad said, smiling. "Congratulations. I'm _so_ happy for you both."

"Yes! This is wonderful!" Mom said, standing up. She came around the table with Dad as we stood and embraced Bella tightly, kissing her cheek.

I shook Dad's hand and he pulled me into a hug. "You're going to be a father again, son."

"Yeah, I can't wait," I said, nodding.

"Another baby!" Mom said, throwing her arms around my neck as Dad hugged Bella. "Oh, I'm so thrilled!"

"We both are," Dad said. "I take it Sofia doesn't know?"

I shook my head. "We're going to wait until after the appointment to tell her and everyone else. Sorry about, you know, lying."

Mom rolled her eyes. "You didn't do a very good job of it. I'd already suspected when Bella rushed to the bathroom."

"Of course you did," I laughed.

"I want that sonogram picture, got it?" she asked as Dad nodded. "Bella, if you ever need help, don't be afraid to ask, okay?"

Bella smiled. "Thank you, Esme."

"But overall you feel all right?" Dad asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I'm tired, but the morning sickness hasn't been _that_ awful — nothing like the horror stories Rosalie told me about. I'm really excited."

"Of course you are, dear. We're here for you both if you need _anything_."

"Just say the word," Mom added.

I knew my parents would be happy for us, so I was really fucking happy we told them earlier than planned. It made it all so much more _real_. I didn't have this part of it with Little One, but I was actually pretty glad I got to experience it all with Bella and not Kate — though I _did_ wish I could have been there for Sofia earlier.

This was another new chapter of our lives, and I planned to enjoy every moment of it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Flicker**

"You going to school with me today, Daddy!" Little One cheered, grinning from ear to ear as I put her bowl of cereal on the table.

I nodded, smiling. "I am, and I'm going to use you as my helper, got it? You'll be a good girl, right?"

"Yeah!"

Bella had already left, needing to get things set up for career day at the school. Thankfully, Bella said I could leave after I was done. There would be a fireman, police officer — Charlie, actually — and a lawyer there, as well. It was something the school did every year for the kindergarteners, and though I'd promised to do it last year, I'd forgotten and couldn't get off of work once Bella reminded me. I couldn't dodge the bullet this year, though. At least I'd have my little one to use as an example, and not someone else's bratty kid.

Honestly, I hadn't really thought about _what_ I was supposed to do and say. I mean, I couldn't exactly explain to a bunch of five year olds that I cut people open for a living . . . that might scar them for life. So, I decided to go simple. I'd explain vitals to them using Sofia, tell them a little about surgery, throw in what causes colds and the importance of washing their hands and be out of there in twenty minutes.

Sofia was so fucking excited to show me off, though, so I doubted I could get out of the school as quickly as I wanted. It was kind of adorable, actually. She'd told all of her little friends that her daddy the doctor was coming. My ego may have grown a little with her excitement and calling me the best daddy in the world.

I did try.

"All ready?" I asked, helping Sofia into her light jacket and grabbing her backpack for her.

She nodded. "Uh-huh. You gonna show them you steadyscope, wight?"

"Ste _tho_ scope," I corrected. "And yes, it's in my bag."

I picked up the black bag after handing her hers and then we headed into the garage to my car. She wasn't the original Tanya — who I had to give up — but new Tanya was definitely a close second. She was a sleek, black Mercedes S550. Not quite as good as Dad's, but Bella threatened to leave me if I spent two hundred grand on a car. I could kind of see her point, so I agreed.

Once I'd buckled Little One into her booster seat, we headed to the school, getting there a little early. Sofia didn't mind because it meant she could spend some time with Mommy and Charlie.

"There's my pumpkin head!" Charlie said, swinging Little One up into his arms after we'd walked into Bella's classroom. I kissed Bella and then started helping her set up the chairs as Sofia and Charlie talked.

"Hi, Gampy! Did you bwing you badge?"

"Sure did, sweetie," he said, patting the badge on his chest. She ran her fingers over it, smiling. "Are you excited? Did you tell your friends your dad and I were coming?"

She nodded quickly. "Yep! I told them _allll_ about you, too! Daddy said I'm gonna be his helpah. Can I help you, too?"

He chuckled. "I'm not sure I need one, but if I do, I'll call for you, okay?"

"Yay!"

After he put her down, I shook his hand. Since his heart attack over four years ago, Charlie had been living much healthier, saying it was for Bella and Sofia. He'd gone back to the force, even though Bella had asked him not to. It was a job he loved, so I really couldn't blame him. Besides, it wasn't like he saw the kind of things cops in bigger cities did. I think he mostly just sat on the side of the highway, waiting to pull me over, actually.

He still gave me tickets, even though I was his son-in-law. Bullshit, right?

"I can't thank you both enough for coming," Bella said. "We're not starting until nine, though, so you two can go to the teachers' lounge for a little while, if you want."

She passed me her key, and I nodded. I knew it'd be a little while wait before it started, so a half hour wasn't that bad. Before the bell rang, Bella kissed Sofia goodbye and I walked her across the hall to her classroom, promising to see her soon.

 **. . . . .**

While Charlie and I waited, he caught me up on the Seahawks and Mariners, which I hadn't really been paying attention to. Bella and I still hadn't told anyone else about her pregnancy, so he had no clue. She wanted to tell him after her prenatal appointment, so we made plans to have him over for dinner on Tuesday night.

"How've you been?" I asked, drinking the shitty coffee. It was, honest to god, worse than the hospital's.

"Pretty good. Sue, uh . . . isn't coming to dinner on Tuesday. She doesn't want to make Bella uncomfortable, you know?"

I nodded. Yeah . . . Charlie actually had a girlfriend now. Bella was happy for him, but she wasn't exactly comfortable with Sue. It really wasn't anything about the woman — who was actually pretty kind — but Bella was still getting used to the idea of her father in a relationship after so long. "She's not mad about it," I said. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah, but I know it's weird for her. Sue and I haven't even been dating that long, so I don't think it's time to include her in family things yet anyway."

"Maybe next time," I offered.

It was probably for the best Sue wasn't coming. This dinner was about our family and how it'd be growing. I wanted Bella to be comfortable and happy to share this news, not having to worry about her dad's girlfriend.

Just before nine, Charlie and I walked back toward Bella's class to find the other volunteers waiting. Soon after, Bella opened the door and invited us in, introducing us to the two classes of students that were now in her room. Little One was in the front row, waving to us with her adorable fucking smile.

"Since Dr. Cullen needs to get to work, he's going to go first," Bella said, motioning for me to join her up front.

Yeah . . . this was pretty fucking weird, standing in front of a bunch of kids. If I had my way, I wouldn't be here.

"Um . . . questions first or last?" I asked, looking to Bella.

"You can do them last." She smiled.

I nodded and said, "Okay," before taking a breath and turning my head back to the kids. I basically bullshitted my way through explaining my job and then talking to them about vital signs, showing how I took them on Little One. Apparently, I really didn't need a plan because this was pretty fucking simple and the kids loved me.

"He's the best doctowah in the wold," Little One said as I pulled the BP cuff off of her arm. "He doesn't make anything huwt at all. Can I listen to you heawt, Daddy?

I looked at Bella and she shrugged, so I decided to play along. After Sofia had her chance, little hands flew up, wanting their turn. I amused a few of them, letting them listen to my heart until Bella tapped her watch.

After answering a few ridiculous questions and then a good one from Sofia, I handed out the suckers Bella had bought for me to give and then was done. Simple shit. I really hadn't changed much with my dislike of kids except Little One, but the day wasn't as bad as I'd thought it'd be.

I did like hearing how great I was, after all, and these kids fucking loved me.

"So, did I do well?" I asked Bella after she introduced Charlie.

She smiled, nodding. "Very. Thank you for coming."

"You're welcome. Do I get a reward for it tonight?" I whispered, watching her cheeks flush.

"I am at _work_ ," she hissed, trying not to laugh.

"I'll take that as a yes," I chuckled. "I have to go, so I'll see you later. I love you."

"I love you, too," she said before I kissed her quickly.

 **. . . . .**

When I got home from work that evening, Little One told me all about how I was the best — followed closely by Charlie. As long as she and Bella were happy, I was too. Our weekend passed quickly and we took Sofia to the aquarium in Seattle on Sunday. She had a blast, just like she always did.

It was her favorite place to go, and Bella and I had decided to do as much with her as possible, leading up to the birth of our second child. Our attention would be divided then, and inevitably, she'd get less of it than she was used to. We'd try our hardest to never let her feel left out, though, and would explain to her that the new baby wasn't replacing her. I was afraid she'd feel that way, and I _really_ didn't want her to.

When we put her to bed that night, she cuddled with her newest stuffed animal — a whale — and fell asleep quickly. Bella and I went back downstairs to enjoy the rest of the evening and talk about the week ahead of us. It was just two more days until her appointment, and I couldn't fucking wait.

"How do we tell her?" Bella asked, sitting down next to me before I wrapped my arm around her. "I mean, we kind of told her where babies come from when Rosalie was pregnant, so at least we won't have to cover that."

God, that _blew_. My four year old daughter randomly asked me how Auntie got a baby in her belly last year, throwing me completely off guard. I figured we couldn't really lie and use the stork bit, so Bella and I just told her that when parents love each other and want a baby, they're given one. Thankfully, she didn't want more of an explanation; otherwise, I might have killed myself. I _prayed_ she wouldn't want a more detailed explanation now.

"To be honest, I'm more worried how she'll react once she realizes it won't just be _us_ anymore," I said. "She gets pretty jealous sometimes. I know that's our fault because we spoil her so much, but—"

" _You_ spoil her way more than I do," Bella said, smirking.

I sighed, nodding. This was true. "I'm terrified she's going to feel left out."

Bella's hand caressed my chest as she contemplated something for a moment. "She's pretty open with us, so we just need to keep that line of communication open. If she ever feels like she's not getting the attention she needs, I have no doubt she'll tell us. And we'll have to be more in-tune with her. Things _will_ change, but our love for her won't. I think we should start off telling her by saying that."

I nodded. "Okay, so we're going to tell her Tuesday?"

"Yes, as long as the doctor says everything looks good. You know, I think she's actually going to be excited when we tell her. The jealousy might come out, but I think it'll be second to the excitement of having her own little sibling."

"I hope so." I smiled, holding her closer. "She did ask if she could have Felix when he was born."

She laughed softly. "The look on your face was priceless. You felt so bad telling her no."

"It's that fucking lip! It just . . . juts out, making her look so damn cute. I can't deny her shit when she does that. I think she learned that from you, actually, Nibbles."

She jutted her lip out, batting her fucking eyelashes. "Will you go get me the Cherry Garcia?"

I rolled my eyes, chuckling. "Sure, but try to get to the bathroom this time. It's too fucking cold to take the trash out if you puke in it."

I stood up from the couch and started walking away when she called out, "And the peanut butter!"

That sounded completely disgusting, but she knew I wouldn't deny her shit. I never could.

 **. . . . .**

Bella and I both took Tuesday off of work since her appointment was at eleven. We'd told Little One that Mommy and Daddy had an appointment, and she'd accepted it without issue. She hadn't had lunch with Bella at all last week, so it wasn't like she'd miss her. After dropping her off at school, we headed back home and Bella finally showed me a binder she'd been working on.

My eyes grew wide at all the fucking details she'd put into it. Seriously, she color coded shit. There was every question you could possibly ask written down about the baby's health, her health, and our families' medical history. Jesus Christ . . . my wife was a little batshit crazy, but this would come in handy.

"I've been doing a lot of research on what kinds of things to ask and what to expect," Bella said, nibbling on her bottom lip as I flipped through the binder. "I just wanted to be prepared."

I let out a short laugh. "I think you're prepared for every possible thing."

She shrugged. "I'm nervous."

I knew Bella tended to over think when she was nervous, and _this_ was even more proof of that. If she asked every single one of these questions, we'd be in the office for hours. I liked that she'd done this, though. It might have been extreme, but it was shit we needed to know. I'd actually done it to a _much_ smaller degree.

I pulled my phone from my pocket, opening up my notes and passing it to her. "I'm nervous, too," I said.

She glanced at the list I'd made and a smile formed on her lips. "Thank you, Edward."

I closed the binder on my lap, moving my arm around her to hold her closer. "Between the two of us, Dr. Uley is going to _earn_ every cent she bills us for."

She laughed softly, lifting her head to kiss my cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, Nibbles. Now, let's go see our kid."

She just grinned, nodding before standing up from the couch.

 **. . . . .**

Forks didn't technically have an obstetrician. Bella's doctor had her practice in Port Angeles, but had privileges at both hospitals. Dr. Emily Uley was both a gynecologist and obstetrician, and Bella had been seeing her since shortly after we'd gotten together. She was a little older than me and had taken over the practice from her father-in-law a few years ago. I'd worked with her a few times, and she seemed well trained, but that didn't make me any less nervous.

This woman would be caring for my wife and unborn child, so she needed to be a fucking incredible doctor.

When we got to the office, Bella was quickly called back. Her weight and vitals looked good, so a _little_ bit of my worry eased. Not much, though. Once she was put in an exam room and changed into the gown, I sat down beside her and she continued her death grip on my hand. Seriously. She was ridiculously strong for such a small woman.

Was there such a thing as freaky strength associated with pregnancy?

"You know what the ultrasound should look like at eight weeks, right?" Bella asked, looking down at me nervously.

I nodded. "Yeah, of course. Why?"

"You'd tell me if anything didn't look right?"

I moved my thumb over the top of her hand. "It will look perfect, like the blob it should be."

She rolled her eyes as a small smile played on her lips. "Don't call our baby a blob."

"Splotch? Peanut? Odd bean looking thing?"

She laughed loudly as someone knocked on the door. Dr. Uley walked in with a smile and greeted us, shaking our hands before getting down to business. She went over a few questions with Bella first and wrote in the chart. Bella asked a couple of hers before saving the rest for after the exam. Thankfully, the pelvic was quick, and Dr. Uley said everything was normal.

Bella's death gripped tightened once more as Dr. Uley pulled over the machine and explained the transvaginal ultrasound.

"Will we hear the heartbeat?" Bella asked.

Dr. Uley shook her head. "No, eight weeks is a little early to hear it, but we will see it. It'll look like a flicker, and I'll point it out to you."

Bella smiled, nodding. "Okay, at least we can see it."

Our eyes turned to the screen as Dr. Uley started. She made some adjustments to the machine and then . . . there it was. That _perfect_ flicker. I was in complete awe — unable to look away from it. That was my baby — _our_ baby. I just . . . I couldn't fucking believe it. Seeing that flicker inside our blob made everything so _real_.

Holy shit.

"Edward," Bella laughed. Shit, I said that out loud, didn't I? "That's our baby."

I nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "We're really having a baby."

"Yes, you two certainly are," Dr. Uley said. "Everything looks _great_ , Bella. I'm going to take a few measurements and then we'll be done, all right?"

"We need pictures," I said. "As many copies as possible, actually."

"Of course, Dr. Cullen." She smiled before taking the measurements.

I stood up and leaned down, kissing Bella softly. "Thank you, Bella," I said, pulling back. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said with tears in her eyes as they moved back to the screen. "Can you believe that's our baby?"

I nodded, chuckling softly. "Yeah, it's incredible."

And it really fucking was. It was part me, part her, and completely perfect in every way. I could honestly say this was one of the best moments of my life.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Few Short Months**

After Bella's exam and ultrasound, we spent a good hour in Dr. Uley's office, going over just about every damn question in my wife's binder. If the woman was annoyed by the sheer amount of information we demanded she give us, it didn't show. Each time I butted in with a what if scenario, she just smiled and answered me. I was still scared shitless, but she managed to ease some of my fears.

Bella was healthy, our child was healthy, and now we had seven months to get ready for this kid.

"April twenty-ninth," Bella said, smiling as I chewed my sandwich. Since we still had a little while before picking up Little One from school, we had stopped in at the diner in Forks. "It seems both so far away and like it's right around the corner. I mean, we have _so_ much to do and I'm worried it won't all be finished in time."

"It's seven months, Bella," I said. "I'm sure we'll have time to get everything done."

She nodded, picking up the sonogram picture from the table again. I hadn't been able to stop looking at it and neither had she. The little blob in the image was our _child_. It seemed unbelievable that in a few short months, that blob would be in our arms. I'd be a father to another child, but unlike last time, I'd be there for it every step of the way.

It honestly saddened me to think about how I missed this with Little One. If Kate had told me, I'd have been there. I'd have seen her first sonogram picture, felt her kicks, and watched her come into the world. But Kate _didn't_ give me that chance. I swore to myself I wouldn't miss any of this pregnancy with Bella. I'd be by her side the entire time and do _anything_ she asked.

"It's a boy," she said, glancing up at me. "I can't explain how I know, but I do. It's just this feeling that makes me believe I'm looking at our son."

I smiled, holding my hand out for the picture. Honestly, I didn't know what the hell we were having, but I hoped she was right. I wouldn't trade Sofia for anything in the world, but she'd thrown a huge hissy fit when I tried to throw a football with her. Maybe I'd get a chance to do the things with my son that my dad had done with me

I was fucking thrilled for this child, though, no matter what it was.

"If it's a boy, we're not naming him Edward," I said, smirking.

"What? You don't like your name?" she asked. "I think Edward is a good, strong name for a boy. Or maybe Charlie, like my dad and Carlisle for a middle name."

"Charles Carlisle?" I laughed. "That's practically _begging_ for the other kids to beat him up."

Her nose crinkled and then she nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. God, what if we wind up giving him some awful name that he hates? And then he hates us?"

I reached across the table, grasping her hand in mine. "You're not allowed to start freaking out about him hating us yet. I don't think that happens until kids are teenagers, at least. Little One still seems pretty fucking happy with us."

"You're right." A small, devilish smirk spread across her lips. "I guess all I really have to do is make our kids like me more than you. Shouldn't be hard."

"Thanks, Nibbles," I said, shaking my head. "I'll remember that when you tell me we have to be partners."

 **. . . . .**

While we waited for Little One to get out of school, Bella and I went home and I helped her clean up the house in anticipation of dinner with her dad tonight. When she'd called him after our appointment to make sure he could still come, he'd told her that he wasn't bringing Sue. Surprisingly, she'd immediately told him to bring her. I still wasn't sure if she did it because she wanted to or just felt obligated to.

"So . . . Sue?" I asked as I unloaded the dishwasher while she marinated the steaks for dinner.

"What about her?" she asked.

I cocked my brow as she tried to look clueless. "She doesn't have to come, Bella."

"Why does everyone think I don't like her? Yeah, it's weird to see my dad with someone, but that doesn't mean I hate her."

"Your eyes about bulged out of your head when she hugged you last time we were at your dad's," I laughed. "You looked like you just remembered you'd forgotten to turn the fucking stove off or something."

"It was surprising!"

"It was hilarious, actually, but that's beside the point."

She sighed, putting her hands on the counter. "It's just . . . he never dated — not once, Edward. He always held this beautiful love for my mom, even though she'd left him. I never thought he'd find someone. I _do_ want him to be happy and I _don't_ dislike Sue, but seeing them together is going to take some time to adjust to. I want them to be together, though, so she needs to come. I need to get to know her and what better time than now?"

I nodded, closing the dishwasher with my foot as I dried my hands off. "I think it's great of you to invite her," I said. I walked across the kitchen, wrapping my arms around her and kissing her neck. "I just wanted to make sure you were all right with it."

"I am. I'm just . . . nervous, I guess. I promise not to freak out if she hugs me again"

I chuckled. "That's a good goal. Now, what's next?"

While she finished marinating the steaks, I went into the living room and cleaned up Little One's toys that were laying around and then changed out the laundry for her. When it was time to go get Sofia, we went together to pick her up. Of course she demanded to know what we did today. I'd go as far as to calling it a fucking inquisition.

"We'll tell you when we get home, okay?" Bella asked, turning her head to look back at Little One.

"Is it something bad?" she asked. "Did I do something wong?"

"No, baby," I said. "Just be patient, all right?"

"Am I getting a puppy?" She grinned, bouncing in her seat. "Is it at home?"

Apparently I laughed a little too loudly because Bella shot me a look. There was no way in _hell_ she was getting a puppy. I couldn't say no to Little One often, but that was an easy one. Even Bella — who was actually _for_ it — couldn't convince me otherwise. I knew full well that I'd be the one cleaning up shit in the house and yard, and that wasn't happening.

"Sorry," I said, smiling sheepishly at Bella. "No, Little One, it's not a puppy. It's _better_."

That made her grin stretch even wider and the questions come faster. Once we got home, Little One wasn't letting us get out of telling her right away, so we all sat down on the couch together. Jesus, I was scared shitless. I had no clue how she'd react to this, but I prayed she'd be happy.

"We love you more than _anything_ in the world," Bella said, smiling as Little One looked at her curiously from my lap. "Nothing will ever change that — I promise — but we have some really good news to tell you about, which will change things around here."

"What's gonna happen?" she asked, looking up at me.

"Well, Mommy and I went to the doctor today," I said, trying to prepare myself for what her reaction may be. There was really no possible way to, though. "In a couple of months, we're going to have a baby, which means you'll be a big sister."

Her mouth fell open and I felt my heart hammer against my chest. "Like Felix?"

I nodded. "Maybe or it could be a baby girl. It'll definitely be different around here, but like Mommy said, this baby won't change how much we love you. We'll always be here for you."

"Do I get to play with it?"

Bella laughed softly, nodding. "Of course, sweet girl."

"Where's it at?"

"It's in Mommy's belly right now," I said, taking her hand and pressing it to Bella's lower stomach. "You can't feel it yet, but it's in here and will grow for a few months until it's ready to come out."

Her eyes were wide as she looked up at Bella. "Did it get in thewah like Felix did with Auntie? You gonna get a big belly, too?"

"Yes, I will," Bella giggled as a smirk spread across my lips, imagining trying to get off of the couch like Rosalie had. Fucking. Hilarious. "Daddy and I love each other very much, and we wanted to have another baby to love — like Auntie and Uncle Em did. Do you remember when we talked about that?"

She shrugged. "Kinda, but . . . how did it get in thewah? Did Daddy put it in thewah?"

I watched as Bella cheeks flushed lightly, and I swear to God, mine were probably doing the same fucking thing. She couldn't make this simple, could she? Last time we'd discussed this, she just accepted the whole usual bit. Damn kid was too curious for her own good now . . . for _my_ own good.

"Yes, he did," Bella said, trying to keep a straight face. "When people love each other, they do things to express that love."

"Like kiss?" Little One asked, scrunching her nose as she looked up at me. "You kissed Mommy and put a baby in hewah belly?"

"Yes, yes, I did," I lied, nodding. "That's why only grownups kiss."

"How's the baby gonna get out?"

 _Fuck my motherfucking life_. I was _not_ explaining childbirth to my five year old kid. Not a chance in hell.

"Well, when it's ready, I'm going to go to the hospital with Daddy," Bella said. "It'll be born there, and then you'll get to meet it."

"And I can hold it?"

"Of course!" She smiled. "You're going to get to do lots of things with it, and you'll be able to hold it whenever you want. It'll love hearing you talk to it, too. Even now, I'm sure it'd love to hear your voice."

"It can heawah me?" she asked, completely shocked. God, she was so fucking adorable.

"Yep, so do you want to tell it anything?" I asked.

She nodded, sliding off of the couch. She put her mouth against Bella's stomach and said, "You gonna be a guwl. We gonna play and dwess up and I'm gonna play with you haiwah. Auntie won't let me put bows in Felix's haiwah, so I'm gonna put 'em in yous, like my baby dolls."

I narrowed my eyes at Bella as she laughed. Sofia kept going, though, telling the baby that obviously couldn't _actually_ hear her all the things they'd do. I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. She was _happy_. Sure, she didn't truly realize what a new baby would mean, but the fact that right now she was happy about it thrilled me to no end. Jealousy would most certainly come at some point, but for now, I laid back and smiled, watching my little one caress my wife's flat belly and talk to our unborn child.

 **. . . . .**

"You can't tell Grandpa about the baby yet, all right, Little One?" I asked, trying to prepare her since Charlie and Sue would be here any minute. "We're telling them tonight, but it needs to be Mommy who tells them. Can you keep it a secret for me?"

"Yep, I can do it! I pwomise I won't tell," she said, nodding. I leaned in, kissing her cheek as she giggled. "That tickles, Daddy! You scwuffy."

"Scruffy, huh?" I picked her up, resting her on my hip as I walked with her back into the kitchen where Bella was finishing things up. "Mommy doesn't think I'm scruffy. Maybe you're just ticklish?"

Bella smiled subtly at our daughter as she wiped her hands on a towel, moving across the kitchen to us. "I think we should test this out," she said.

Little One buried her face in my neck, giggling as she said, "No! Please, Mommy?"

The doorbell rang as Bella's fingers moved across Little One's back. "Saved by the bell, baby," I laughed, putting her down. "Let's go see Grandpa."

She ran ahead of me as I gave Bella a quick kiss. "Ready?" I asked, pulling back and taking her hand.

She nodded, smiling. "I can't wait to tell him. Maybe we should do that first? Sofia won't keep her mouth shut long."

I laughed as I heard the door open. "True. It'll probably be the first word out of her mouth, actually, so we better run."

When we walked into the living room, Charlie had Little One in his arms as she hugged him tightly. Sue was standing beside him, smiling as she watched them. She really was a kind woman, and Sofia loved her already. Then again, my kid loved everyone and everyone loved her.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said as Charlie put Little One back on her feet. Sue leaned down and they hugged for a moment as Bella hugged her dad. "We brought you something."

"Nothing big," Charlie said, handing me a bottle of wine as Sue gave Little One the little pink bag in her hand. "Sue had made her something, so she wanted to bring it."

"Thank you, Sue," Bella said, smiling as she moved closer and put her arms out. The embrace was quick and clearly awkward as hell, but I didn't miss Charlie's smile as he watched them.

Like Little One was to me, Bella was Charlie's whole world. He never wanted to hurt her, which was probably why he never tried to date when she was younger and also why he was worried about bringing Sue tonight. It all seemed good so far, though, which was all I cared about. Tonight was _huge_ , so I didn't want anything to upset Bella.

"I hope you're hungry because I may have made too much food," Bella laughed softly as we walked into the dining room.

"No such thing," Charlie said as Little One led him over to the chair next to hers.

"Do you need any help?" Sue asked.

"It's actually done, but you can help me bring it out, if you'd like."

Sue nodded, following Bella into the kitchen as I took a seat. Little One was too busy playing with her new bracelet that Sue had made to spill the beans, which I was thankful for. The kid couldn't keep a secret worth shit.

"Did you talk to Bells?" Charlie asked quietly, leaning forward toward me. "It means a whole hell of a lot to Sue that Bella invited her."

I shook my head. "No, I didn't say a thing. She wants to get to know her. It's just weird to her, you know?"

He nodded, sighing. "Yeah, I know. I wasn't sure about bringing Sue, even though Bella told me to, but . . . she's important to me."

"Bella knows, so she wants to try," I said just before Bella and Sue came back into the room, carrying two large dishes. I quickly stood, going back to grab the other bowls for her. As we started to eat, Little One caught Charlie up on school and made sure to tell him how _cool_ — her word, not mine — he had been at career day. Sue joined in on the conversation, asking Sofia different questions about her favorite things.

"Did you see, Mommy?" Little One asked, holding out her wrist across the table to show off the chain linked bracelet with little wooden and gem charms. "It's _sooo_ pwetty!"

Bella nodding, smiling. "It's beautiful, sweetie. You did you a great job, Sue."

"Thank you. Charlie told me Sofia loved pink, so I thought I'd make her a little something. I hope you don't mind."

I sat there quietly — probably just as nervous as Charlie — as they discussed the bracelet. Sure, it wasn't much, but at least they were getting along. I couldn't imagine what it felt like for Bella to see her dad with someone after so long, but it made me happy that she was trying to get to know the woman. After all, Charlie had pretty much accepted me into the family, so I hoped Bella would do the same for him.

"This is amazing, Bells," Charlie said, cutting his steak. "You didn't have to go to so much work."

"It wasn't hard, but thank you," she said as her hand clasped around mine over the table. "So . . . we actually have some news."

He looked up, creasing his brow. "News?"

She smiled, nodding as she took a deep breath. "Yeah, we're, uh . . . we're having a baby. I'm pregnant."

His eyes went wide as his lip curled into a smile. "Baby? I'm going to be a grandpa again?"

She nodded as I watched her hand move to her stomach. "I'm due in April."

"Oh my goodness!" Sue said, grinning. "That's wonderful! Congratulations."

"I'm gonna be a big sister, Gampy!" Little One said. "Daddy kissed Mommy and put a baby in her!"

Charlie laughed with the rest of us, looking down at Little One next to him — between he and Sue. "Did he now? Well . . . that's good. Are you excited, Pumpkin Head?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yep! And I didn't tell him, Daddy! Like I pwomised!"

"I know, baby," I laughed.

"Oh, Bells," Charlie said, looking back across the table. "My baby's having a baby. Come here." They both stood and Bella walked around the table to him. He pulled her against his chest, hugging her tightly. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you, Daddy," she said, sniffling as she pulled away and I stood. "I couldn't wait to tell you, but I wanted to make sure everything was okay first. We received good news today from the doctor."

"So it's okay?"

She nodded, wiping her tears. "Yes, it's perfect."

Charlie clasped his hand on my shoulder and said, "Congratulations, son," before shocking the hell out of me by putting his arm around me for a brief moment.

"Thank you, sir," I said as we pulled away. "I actually have a picture."

I pulled the folded up photo out of my pocket, holding it out to him. He just grinned, looking between it and his daughter. Of course Little One wanted a piece of the action, so she put her hand on Bella's stomach.

"It can heawah us, Gampy," she said. "Hi, baby."

"I'm sure it likes hearing it's big sister," he said before looking up at me. "Can I keep this?"

I nodded as Sue came to stand beside him and looked at the photo. "Yeah, we have plenty of copies."

"I'm so happy for you both," Sue said. "Thank you so much for including me tonight. If you need anything, I'd be happy to help."

Bella wiped her tears that had continued to fall and embraced her. "Thank you, that means a lot."

Once the hugging had stopped — which actually continued for longer than I realized it would — we sat back down and finished dinner, discussing the new baby. The due date seemed so far away right now, and I couldn't wait for it.

"I just realized I never asked if you had kids," Bella said, looking at Sue.

"I don't," she said. "I was married for a few years, but he passed away young and we never had children. My sister has four, though, so I'd gotten to spend many years spoiling them."

"I'm so sorry for your loss."

Sue smiled lightly, clasping her hand around Charlie's over the table. "Thank you, Bella. It's taken me a long time, but I'm moving on now. Your father is a wonderful man."

Bella glanced at Charlie and nodded. "Yeah, he is. I hope I can get to know you better. If I've seemed . . . upset, I'm really sorry."

"It's understandable, dear. Thank you again for letting me share this wonderful night with you."

"We're happy you could come," I said.

"So, when exactly am I getting my grandson?" Charlie asked, chuckling.

"It's not a boy, Gampy!" Little One said. "I askeded it to be a guwl, so it's gonna be that."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Feel Better**

"You're enjoying that cup of coffee a little too much there, Nibbles," I said, smirking as I watched Bella inhale another deep breath of her mug.

"Shut up, we're having a moment," she said as her fingers caressed the mug. She mouthed something along the lines of, "I love you," to the cup and I had to stifle my laugh.

Dr. Uley told her she could have a limited amount of caffeine a day, so Bella took pleasure in the one cup every morning. If it wasn't for the fact that I'd gotten laid last night, I'd have been jealous of a fucking coffee mug. After pouring myself a cup, I sat down beside her at the counter and pulled out my phone, making sure I hadn't missed anything urgent through the night.

"Is Little One up yet?" I asked, glancing over at Bella who was still eye-fucking the mug.

She shook her head as she took a slow sip. "No, I'm going to get her up after I finish this. It's almost gone."

I chuckled at her pout and then leaned over, kissing her softly. "I think you'll live."

"I think you should be limited to as much caffeine as I'm allowed to have," she said, rolling her eyes before downing the last sip. "What's your day like?"

"I have follow-ups, but that's it. I can probably pick Sofia up from school, if you want. You have that meeting, right?"

Since her due date was in April, Bella had to work things out with the school and figure out when she could start her maternity leave. It may have been my overprotective side, but I didn't want her working up until her due date like she was considering.

She nodded as she walked over to the sink. "Yes, but it's not until four. If you could pick Sofia up, though, that'd be great. She has ballet tonight, too."

Once we finished talking, Bella headed upstairs to wake Little One up as I headed to get a shower. Bella still had another week before her first trimester was over, but so far, everything had been going amazingly well. Her morning sickness happened less and less and she was starting to get a little more energy back.

After we'd told Charlie about the pregnancy, Bella gave me the go-ahead to tell Jasper, so we had he and Alice over for dinner a few weeks ago. Though we didn't work together anymore, he was still my best friend and we hung out often. He and Alice married a few months before Bella and I had. They had plans of a big family but, sadly, they weren't successful. They were now in the process of adoption, so Bella was a little worried about telling them we were having another baby. Of course they were happy for us, though, so she worried needlessly.

As I turned the water on to get a shower, a knock on the bathroom door stopped me. "Edward, Sofia's sick," Bella said.

I threw my boxers back on and opened the door. "What's wrong?" I asked, trying not to freak the fuck out. I still wasn't good with my little one being sick. Every worst case scenario possible always ran through my mind, even though Sofia had been a pretty healthy child.

Bella sighed. "She says her tummy hurts and she feels a little warm to me. Will you check her out while I call the school? I have to get a sub and reschedule my meeting."

I shook my head as I pulled a shirt over my head. There was no way in hell I was leaving Bella to take care of Sofia. The last thing we needed was for Bella to get sick right now. Her immune system was already compromised because of the pregnancy. "I'll stay home with her," I said. "I don't want you around her if she's contagious."

She cocked her head. "I'm around sick kids all the time."

She did have a point, but . . . I still didn't want her around Little One constantly while she was sick. If they both came down with something, my life would be a living hell. "Just let me take care of her, all right? You have that meeting anyway. I'll call the hospital and get my follow-ups rescheduled. It's fine."

She sighed, but nodded. "Okay, but when she's sick, she's _very_ particular. If you give her soup, it has to be chicken noodle, but you have to spoon the actual pieces of chicken out — she just likes the broth and noodles. And when her belly hurts, you have to massage it in a soft, circular motion. She likes that. Also she—"

I chuckled, pulling her into my chest to keep her from going on and on — like she _really_ would. "I know how to take care of her, all right? We'll be fine. When you get a few minutes today, call me and I'll let you know how she's doing."

She nodded against my chest, wrapping her arms around me tightly. "All right, all right . . . I know you can take care of her. I guess I'm just being a little . . ."

"Mom-ish?"

She looked up at me, smiling softly. "Pretty much."

"I'm going to go check her out while you get ready. I love you."

"I love you, too," she said before I dipped my head to kiss her.

While she got ready for work, I grabbed my bag from the closet and headed into Sofia's room across the hall. I fucking _hated_ seeingmy baby was sick, and when I got into her room and she looked up at me — pouty lips and those big, green eyes — my heart about broke. I sat down on her bed and laid my hand against her forehead, feeling the slight fever.

"Mommy said your tummy hurts," I said. "Is that it?"

"I think I'm gonna thow up," she whimpered, wrapping her arms tighter around her stomach.

I quickly grabbed the waste basket beside her bed and got it under her chin before she tossed her fucking cookies. As she cried, I rubbed her back and brushed her bangs from her forehead.

"You're okay," I soothed, moving closer to her. "Just get it all out."

"It's huwts," she sniffled. "I don't wanna be sick."

"I don't want you to be sick either, Little One. We'll get through this, though, all right? Daddy's going to take care of you."

She nodded and pushed the waste basket away from her. After putting it down on the floor, I pulled the thermometer from my bag and slid it into her ear for the few seconds it took to register. I was relieved to find she only had a low grade fever, just below one-hundred degrees.

"Can Daddy take a look at your belly?"

Her bottom lip quivered, but she laid back down for me anyway. "Don't make it huwt, please?"

I leaned down, kissing her forehead before moving the blankets down. "I'll try my hardest, okay? I promise."

I lifted her pajama shirt and examined her abdomen, finding her somewhat bloated, but not shockingly so. After making sure her wasn't experiencing any tenderness where I pressed, I pulled her shirt back down and the blanket up over her shoulders once more. All signs pointed to a simple case of gastroenteritis, but I planned to watch her carefully throughout the day to make sure it wasn't something more serious.

"Well?" Bella asked, coming into the room. "How's our girl?"

"Stomach virus, I think," I said, brushing my hand through Little One's hair. "I'll keep her home today and hopefully she'll be feeling a little better tomorrow. If she's not, I'll call her pediatrician. She just needs to stay hydrated and rest."

Bella came around to the other side of Sofia's bed and sat down, taking our girl's hand in hers. "Does spending the day with Daddy sound okay, sweet girl?"

Little One shrugged. "I guess so, but no doctowah, okay? I don't wanna go."

"Hopefully you won't have to. Last I heard, Daddy's _pretty_ good with illness." Bella smiled, holding her arms out. "Give Mommy a hug goodbye. I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy," she said, hugging Bella.

 **. . . . .**

After Bella left for work, I got Little One into the bathroom to brush her teeth while I pulled some pillows and blankets from her bed to set her up downstairs on the couch with me. Bella was always the one to take care of her, so before she'd left, she wrote me a list of things to do. Most were obvious and things she'd already told me, but she was extremely specific about how Sofia liked to be attached to her, so I'd have to be a good substitute.

After getting some Pedialyte out and ready for her, I went back upstairs to check on Little One. "Baby, are you ready to come downstairs?" I asked, pushing open the bathroom door, only to find her on the floor in front of the damn toilet. "Again, huh?"

"Make it stop, please?" she begged, looking up at me with tears in her eyes.

I sighed, leaning down next to her and cleaning off her face. The morning passed pretty much the same with trips to the bathroom in between watching cartoons and snuggling into my side. I gave her some medicine, but it wasn't doing much good. If she wasn't any better by tonight, I planned to get her something stronger to prevent the vomiting. She was so fucking miserable, which only made me feel like shit for not being able to help her. I did my best trying to keep her hydrated with Pedialyte, but she fought me each time I pressed the cup into her hand.

"It's gonna make me thow up!" she whined, scowling at me.

I tried to explain the logic of it that it'd absorb into her system quickly to keep her hydrated, but she didn't want to hear that shit, of course. She would probably throw up and have to go to the bathroom more today.

"You might get sick again, but if you don't drink it, you _will_ get sicker. You don't want to go to the doctor, remember? If you get dehydrated, we'll have to go."

She pouted, but it seemed I scared her enough and she held her hand out for it. Well, now I felt even worse for scaring her. "Just small sips," I said. "Thank you."

She huffed before handing the cup back to me. I put it down on the table and then pulled her into my lap, cradling her against my chest. I kiss her forehead over and over as she let out a soft, barely recognizable giggle.

"That's my girl," I said, smiling. "Now, how about a princess movie?"

" _Tangled_?"

"You haven't had enough of that yet?" I laughed, shaking my head. I couldn't count the number of times she'd seen that damn movie, but I was getting sick of it.

She shook her head, giving me a small smile. "It's my favowite, and afta we watch that, I wanna watch the kitties, okay?"

" _Aristocats_?"

"Yep, it's Mommy's favowite and I like it!"

"All right then," I said, moving her over to the cushion beside me. "I'll go grab the movies while you have a few more sips. Deal?"

She huffed dramatically and held her hand out for the cup. "Fine."

Our afternoon continued just like our morning, but I got a couple smiles out of Little One, which made cleaning vomit off of me a little easier. Not much, though. I hated that she was sick, but spending the day cuddling with my little one was probably my favorite thing in the world. She wouldn't leave my lap unless she had to and she gave me many kisses on the cheek throughout the day. Her stomach cramping made her cry, so I did as Bella said and rubbed my hand over her belly. Eventually, she fell asleep to that.

By the time Bella got home from her meeting, Sofia hadn't been sick for a few hours, so we tried some soup. She sat between the two of us, cautiously spooning the tiniest amount of broth possible into her mouth.

"Do you think she'll keep this down?" Bella asked, looking over Sofia's head to me.

I shrugging, sighing. "She's been sick a _lot_ today, but not for the past few hours. She napped a good amount, so I'm hoping the worst of it had passed. If she doesn't keep it down, though, I'm going to run to the hospital for some zofran."

Bella nodded, running her hand over Little One's back. "Does it taste okay, baby?"

"Uh-huh," Little One mumbled.

"Did you and Daddy watch movies?"

"He let me watch _Tangled,_ the kitties, and _Up_. And he held me, too. I thew up on him, but he didn't get mad."

She smiled, looking up at me. "Of course he didn't, sweetheart. Why don't you tell me about _Up_ , hmm? It's been a while since we watched that."

While she told Bella more about the movie and our day, Little One managed to eat almost have of the bowl of soup. Unfortunately, it didn't stay down for long. I checked her out again and all signs still pointed to a stomach virus, so I left her with Bella and made a quick trip to the hospital pharmacy for the prescription medication.

To be honest, I was getting pretty fucking worried. It was hard to remind myself that this was just a bad case of gastroenteritis when every other diagnosis popped into my head. So hard, in fact, that I decided to call my dad.

He'd talked me off of the ledge many times before when Sofia was sick with something, so I hoped he could do the same again. I told him all of her symptoms, how long she'd been sick for, how many times, and every other little thing I could think of.

Like I already knew, he told me that it was a stomach virus and I'd just have to wait for it to pass.

"I know," I sighed, turning into our driveway. "I guess I just . . . needed your opinion."

"Just give her the medicine and keep an eye on her, all right? I'm sure she'll be better in the morning, and the zofran will help her keep fluids down and stay hydrated. I'm positive you don't have _anything_ to worry about, son."

"Okay, thanks, Dad. I'll let you know how she is in the morning."

"Please do. If it's any consolation, I swear it gets less terrifying with the second kid."

"That's good to know," I chuckled. "I just got home, so I'll let you off of here."

"Okay, give her a kiss for us. We love you, son."

"Love you too," I said, hanging up the phone and closing the garage door behind me.

When I got back inside, I found Sofia and Bella still in the living room. My wife had our little girl wrapped up in a blanket, holding her against her.

"She's miserable, Edward," Bella said, frowning as she looked down at Little One. "Twice since you've been gone. That's not normal, is it?"

I placed the brown bag with the medicine on the coffee table and sat down beside them, laying my hand against Sofia's forehead. She was still a little warm, but her fever hadn't gone up any.

"The soup just didn't sit well with her," I said. "This medicine will help, though. Dad thinks it's a stomach virus too, so it just has to pass."

She nodded, running her hand through our daughter's hair. "Let's sit up and take this medicine, sweetie."

"I don't like pills," Little One said, pouting.

"Good thing I got the liquid kind then, huh? Daddy knows this stuff." I smiled, grabbing the bag as Bella sat her up.

Once I'd given her the medicine, I fucking prayed she would keep it down. Five minutes passed, then ten, and twenty and she managed to keep it down.

Thank fucking god.

We spend the rest of the evening on the couch. Little One was content to sleep on my lap with her legs on Bella, and made a fuss each time I woke her up to drink some of the Pedialyte. We finally put her into her own bed around midnight and headed to our room, keeping both doors open so we could hear her.

"So, how did the meeting go?" I asked once we'd settled into bed.

Bella rested her head against my chest and sighed. "My maternity leave starts a month before my due date. I figured that'd give me enough time to get all the little things done like wash clothes and finish up the nursery — which I want to start setting up once we know what we're having."

"A month is good." I nodded. "I just want you to be happy, but I don't want you to be too stressed."

"We have a five year old daughter," she laughed. "I'm stressed every day, just like you. It'll be fine, Edward. I haven't decided for sure, but I might take next year off."

I grinned, knowing that if she said it, she'd probably do it. It wasn't that I didn't want her working, but . . . Yeah, I kind of didn't. At least not right away. It wasn't that I didn't think she could do it, but I knew how much she enjoyed being home with Little One for the first few years. "You can do whatever you want. I'll support you."

She smirked, rolling her eyes. "Don't look so happy. I'll go back to work eventually, but I really want to do what I did with Sofia. We had those first few years to connect, and I want that with this baby, too. Plus, it'll make it easier because I'll be able to take Sofia to her after school programs and spend more time with her, too. She's done great so far, hasn't she? I mean, she hasn't been jealous at all."

"She's been amazing. I'm sure the moment she feels better, she'll go right back to kissing your stomach and talking to the baby," I chuckled.

"I hope so. I missed that today."

I dipped my head, kissing her forehead. "I haven't gotten to talk to it today either, you know. Roll over."

She laughed, but did as I asked. I moved down her body, laying my head against her stomach. She wasn't showing yet, of course and the only way her body looked any different was her boobs.

Best fucking thing in the world.

"Hi," I said, caressing her stomach. "Thanks for the boobs."

"God, Edward," she laughed, smacking me in the head. "You thank it every single day."

"They're great boobs!" I smirked. "Anyway, I can't wait to see you again in a few weeks. We get to stop calling you 'it' then, so that'll be nice. I'll try not to be so neurotic when you get sick, but I can't make any promises. You can complain to Sofia about it. I love you already . . . more and more every day, actually. I can't wait to meet you."

I kissed her stomach before lifting my head, finding Bella crying . . . Like she did every night I talked to our unborn child. I always said about the same thing, but her hormones still got to her.

"I love you, Bella," I said, pressing my lips to hers.

"I love you, too," she said, smiling as we parted. "Thank you for taking care of our girl today. She told me that even though she didn't feel well, you made her happy. She loves daddy cuddles."

"Well, I love Little One cuddles."

"You're an amazing father. How you ever doubted that I'll never understand."

"You have to admit it that it was a _little_ rocky in the beginning."

She shook her head. "No, you just had some things to learn, which you caught onto pretty fast. I can't wait to have another baby with you."

 **. . . . .**

Thankfully, Little One was feeling better in the morning. I kept her home from school again, though because she was tired and still had some pain. We pretty much had a repeat of the day before, but she was a hell of a lot more like herself.

She laughed, smiled, and even talked me into playing with her dolls.

"I wish we could do this every day, Daddy," she said, brushing her dolls hair out.

I froze, cocking my head. Did she just say every? Not evy? With the fucking R? "What'd you say, baby?"

"That I wish we could do this every day."

I grinned, laughing. "You made the R sound, baby!"

"I did? Mrs. Taylowah is gonna be so happy!"

I lifted my hand, holding it out for a high five. Sure, she didn't get it right with Taylor, but it was a little different of a sound. She said _every_. She'd never said that before. "She will be, Little One. I'm so proud of you!"

I moved across the floor, wrapping her up in my arms. Honestly, I hadn't been sure the speech therapy was working, but now I was. It'd be a while before every word would be perfect, but this was a start.

"Can we get my book and tie some mowah?"

I nodded. "I'll be right back."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Full of Love**

"No."

"But, Edward—"

" _No_."

I would do almost _anything_ for Sofia, but there was absolutely no fucking way I was doing this. It was humiliating, embarrassing, and just . . . _awful_. So fucking awful. Last Halloween was bad too, but at least not this bad. Bella and I were vampires and Little One was a witch. The year before I didn't go because I had to work — thank fucking god. And before that, we didn't dress up because Sofia didn't really care.

Now she cared, though.

More like _demanded_.

"It'll break her heart if you don't do this," Bella said, giving me those fucking eyes. They went all big and basically pleaded for me to do what she wanted.

"I'll lie and say I have to work late."

"And then she'll be mad at you."

Little One would be _pissed_ , but . . . maybe I could deal with it. Make it up to her with something. All I knew was that there was zero chance in hell I was going to be the fucking scarecrow from _Wizard of Oz_ for Halloween.

"Why do we have to fucking coordinate?" I asked, sitting down on the bed. "I'm a grown ass man and yeah, I love my kid, but . . . this is a little out of hand."

"She _really_ wants this. Do you think I want to squeeze myself into a dress to be Glinda? Because I don't, but she wants to be Dorothy so much, Edward. Will you please just do it for me? I talked her out of putting you in tights. She wanted you to be Prince Charming."

Jesus Christ, I would have killed myself.

She sat down on the bed next to me, rubbing my back. They'd gone out today to pick up costumes because Little One waited until the last minute to decide. Halloween was in three days, and I'd made sure to schedule the night off so I could go with them around the neighborhood.

Now I wished I hadn't.

"If I do this, we avoid everyone I work with and your dad's house, got it?" I asked.

She laughed. "We have to go to Dad's house, but we can avoid everyone else. We'll stay in his neighborhood, all right?"

I sighed, but nodded. Fuck my life. I was _actually_ going to do this. Why couldn't I be a vampire again? At least then I got to wear fangs. "Fine, but when we're old, she better put us in a nice home. No cheap place where I get bed sores."

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "I think we have a while before we have to worry about that."

I placed my hand against her cheek, pulling her lips to mine and kissing her softly. I still didn't want to do this, but now she kind of owed me.

It was always good when she owed me.

"Now, let's go carve some pumpkins," she said, smiling. "Stop scowling and get in the kitchen."

She pulled me up and I squeezed her ass she as she led the way. Little One was patiently sitting at the counter, flipping through the book with the pumpkin designs. She grinned, showing off the gap where one of her baby teeth had fallen out yesterday.

"So, what'd you get with your tooth fairy money?" I asked, sitting down next to her. Bella handed me some newspaper, and I started spreading it out over the counter.

"A colowing book and mawkers," she said excitedly, climbing down off of the stool, tripping in the process but she steadied herself before face-planting. She quickly ran out of the living room with such fucking enthusiasm.

"I gave her a little extra money," Bella said. "I didn't think you'd mind."

I shrugged, chuckling lightly. "We can teach her about that some other day. Did she say thank you?"

"Of course she did. By the way, the gigantic pumpkins she picked are in the car, so I decided you could carry them in."

Once Little One showed me her new princess coloring book and markers, I went out to grab the gigantic — Bella didn't exaggerate that — pumpkins and we started carving. Sofia made sure to tell me I was going to be the most handsome scarecrow in the world, so I forgave her for making me wear the damn costume.

Well, I had forgiven her until I actually had to put the fucking thing on a few days later to go trick-or-treating. Fuck my motherfucking life was completely appropriate here. At least I wasn't suffering alone, though. Bella had started showing — just a small, beautiful bump — so she didn't find it comfortable to squeeze into the dress.

Little One, on the other hand, was the happiest fucking kid in the world. We held her hand, leading her to every house in Charlie's neighborhood. He was an asshole, by the way and laughed his ass off at me. Sofia glared at him, though, so that helped a little.

At every house she went to, Little One clicked the red, plastic kid's heels together and the occupants adored her, giving her way too much candy. She had a blast, so I eventually did forget about how ridiculous I looked because she was happy, which was all that mattered.

 **. . . . .**

"Five pieces," Little One said, crossing her arms over her chest as I sorted through her candy, making sure it was fine.

"Two."

She huffed at my counter offer and looked up at Bella as she pouted. "Mommy, can I _please_ have five pieces tonight?"

I had to laugh. She didn't get what she wanted from me, so she went to her mom. She'd been playing both sides for a while now, but we'd learned. United front and all that shit.

"I think two is plenty for tonight, sweetie," Bella said, stretching out on the floor beside me.

We'd changed out of our costumes the minute we got home, but Little One was still wearing hers. I wouldn't have been surprised if she tried to sleep in it tonight. Kid _was_ the most adorable Dorothy there'd ever been.

"Thwee?" Sofia asked. "Please? I'll even let you guys have some."

I laughed, picking up a piece and unwrapping it, popping it in my mouth. "I'm allowed to have as many as I want."

"No!" she shrieked, diving at me and pressing her hands on either side of my face. "Mommy, tell him it's mine!"

"We share, remember?" Bella asked. "But you know, Edward, you're supposed to ask."

She smirked as I tried to chew the tootsie roll, though Sofia was making it a little difficult. Once I'd swallowed it, I said, "I'm sorry. Can Daddy have one?"

She narrowed her eyes, huffing. "You alweady had it. I get thwee now."

Fair was fair, I suppose. Three was better than five, so Bella and I gave in and let her pick out her pieces before we put everything back in the bag and up on top of the fridge, so she couldn't get to it. She made out like a fucking bandit, so I didn't feel bad about grabbing a few more pieces before putting it away.

I'd share with my Nibbles, though.

Once Bella had gotten her into the bath and we put her in bed, I read Sofia her story as she drifted off. After being sick a few weeks ago, she was back to her perfectly happy, exuberant self. Thank fuck, too, because I was beside myself with worry when she'd woken up sick again that night. Another dose of the Zofran helped immensely, but I'd kept her home the next day, too.

"Is she out cold in a candy induced coma?" Bella asked, smiling as I joined her in bed. She laid her book down in her lap and rubbed her hand over her small bump.

"She'd have tried to eat that whole damn bag tonight if we'd let her," I laughed. "Three pieces wasn't enough."

"You gave her another, didn't you?"

I smirked, shrugging. "Yeah, but I made her brush her teeth again. Now, I think you owe me a favor."

I stretched out beside her, taking her book and laying it out the nightstand as I pressed my lips to hers. Her hand weaved through my hair, moaning as the kiss deepened.

Yep, I was totally getting laid tonight.

Fuck yes.

 **. . . . .**

"How much longer 'til it comes out?" Little One asked, laying her hands on Bella's stomach.

With how small Bella was, her bump at sixteen weeks was quite obvious, and Sofia was fucking _fascinated_ by it. She couldn't keep her hands off of it, so once we sat down on the couch after dinner, she forgot all about her toys and went straight for it. She stood between Bella's legs, wide-eyed as she lifted Bella's shirt up.

"It's going to be a while, sweetheart," Bella said. "When's April?"

"Afta March."

I couldn't help but grin at her corrected pronunciation of March. It was a fairly new development, and the first time she actually said a word with an R in it correctly, I had to do a double take. I'd actually kind of freaked her out because she didn't even realize it at first. I'd swept her up into my arms, making her say it over and over as I acted like a fucking idiot with my enthusiasm. She wasn't perfect yet by any means, but the speech therapy had started to do its job.

"Right," I said. "And it's November now, so how many months is that?"

She lifted her hands, counting the months. "Um . . . six?"

"Think of it like this, sweetie," Bella said, counting on her hands for Little One's benefit. "November to December is one full month, then December to January is two, January to February is three, February to March is four, and then March to April is five. So, we have about five months to go. That's not really that long, is it?"

"Yeah-huh," Sofia said, rolling her eyes. "Can it come sooner? I wanna know if I'm getting a bwother or sister."

"It's got to grow, Little One," I said. "It needs all of those months to grow strong enough. While it's in mommy, she's giving it everything it needs, so that when it's time for it to come, it'll be healthy. But, we will know in a few weeks if it's a boy of girl. Mommy's doctor is going to do another sonogram. You know that funny looking picture on the fridge?"

"Uh-huh. The black and white one." She nodded.

"Yep, so Mommy's doctor is going to do another one of those, and we should be able to see if it's a boy or girl."

"Can I see my picture in Mommy's belly?"

My eyes widened as I looked to Bella. Son of a bitch, I hadn't even thought of her asking about Bella being pregnant with her. Not once in Little One's entire life had we talked to her about Bella adopting her. She was so young when it happened that she didn't even realize what was going on.

"We didn't get one," I lied.

"Edward," Bella whispered as Little One looked curiously between us. "Maybe?"

No.

 _Fuck_ _no_.

I _never_ wanted Sofia to know that Bella wasn't her biological mother. We'd talked about it, and decided we wouldn't bring it up. At least not while she was this little. After all, what five-year-old looked at their mom and realized that she didn't have the same nose, lips, or ears? Little One looked like me. She _prided_ herself on looking like her daddy.

"Why don't you have it?" Little One asked, cocking her head. "You have the baby's."

"We'll go try to find it, okay, baby?" Bella said, forcing a smile. "Why don't you play while we go look?"

She nodded, her curls of hair bouncing as she grinned. "Okay! Please find it. I wanna see!"

"Let's talk," Bella whispered before standing up and grabbing my hand.

I could feel myself clenching my jaw as I followed her upstairs. What Kate did still pissed me off anytime I thought of it. It always would, too. Was I happy to not have her in our lives? Yeah . . . I was, but that didn't change the fact that what she did hurt my daughter — even if Sofia didn't know it. She _abandoned_ her. She didn't love her own flesh and blood. How she didn't love the sweetest, most perfect child in the world was the most insane thing in the world to me.

We'd never had any more contact after we left New York, and that was fine by me.

"She's going to remember this, Edward," Bella said, closing our bedroom door behind her as I fell onto the bed, putting my face in my hands. "One day when she does find out — because you _know_ we can't hide this forever — she's going to think back to this day and realize we lied to her. I . . . I kind of thought this baby might bring this up, so I've been doing some reading."

My head shot up as I narrowed my eyes. "You thought about this and you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't know for sure!" she whispered harshly. "I only considered it briefly when we found out, but a few weeks ago I thought about it again. I'm not surprised she has questions. Are you? Honestly?"

Sofia was an inquisitive and smart little girl. Why I hadn't considered her asking questions was beyond me. "I . . . I didn't _want_ to think about it," I sighed. "God, if I could erase Kate from my memory, I would. Trust me."

"Of course you would," she said, sitting down next to me. "If I could have given birth to our daughter, I'd go back in an instant. But that's now how it works. I _love_ Sofia as if I'd given birth to her. Nothing will ever change that. Not this baby . . . _nothing_."

"But what if she doesn't think of it that way? She's a child, Bella. Five years old! She doesn't understand things like this."

"She might. I mean, if we explain it to her and I reassure her that I'll _never_ love this baby more than her — that it's the exact same kind of love — maybe she'll understand it. Kids are smarter than we realize, you know? _She's_ smarter than we realize."

I shook my head, running my hand through my hair. "I don't want to hurt her."

Fuck, I never wanted to hurt Little One, and this very well could. How the hell could I explain that I fucked up? That I got a woman I barely knew pregnant, and then that woman didn't want her — that _I_ wasn't sure if I wanted her at first. I hated myself for doing this to my daughter.

"I don't either." Bella's voice broke, and I looked up to find tears rolling down her cheeks. "I don't want to tell her that I'm not her real mom. Because I _am_. I'm terrified she'll look at me differently. I don't want this, Edward, but we can't keep lying to her. It'll only make it worse when she finds out. I don't want her to hate me for pretending to be something that I'm not."

Her body shuddered as she sobbed. I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her into my chest. I was fucking selfish again, thinking about how this affected _me_ when it affected her just as much. I was Little One's dad. It was my blood running through her veins, my hair on top of her head, and my crooked smile on her lips.

But Bella . . . Bella raised her. Bella loved her, not because she had to, but because she _wanted_ to. Bella was her mom — DNA be damned. Little One could doubt that. That thought caused me more pain than I could express, so of course it killed Bella.

"I'm sorry," I said, holding her as she cried. "I didn't . . . fuck, I didn't think. You're her mom, Bella. She knows that. You're the only mother she's ever known and _will_ ever know. I'm so fucking sorry for not thinking about you. I won't let her think you're not her mom. Not even for a second. You're the reason she is who she is. Biological or not, that won't change."

"I just . . . we have to tell her now," Bella said as I wiped her tears. "I can't lie to her. I love her too much to lie anymore. It doesn't matter that I didn't give birth to her. Not to me, at least. I look at her and see _my_ daughter— not Kate's."

I nodded. "I guess it'll be better to do it now than have it come out later. God forbid she finds out from someone other than us."

"And I don't want her to think we lied to her."

"Mommy, Daddy," Little One yelled through the door, knocking loudly. "Can I come in?"

I wiped Bella's tears as she sniffled, nodding to me. "It's time."

"I love you."

She smiled sadly, tilting her head to kiss me. "I love you, too."

I stood up from the bed, sighing as I walked over to the door, opening it up to find Sofia on the other side with a curious look. "Come on in, baby girl."

"What's wong? Mommy?" She ran to the bed, climbing up next to Bella and getting into her lap. Bella hugged her closely, kissing the top of her head. "Why are you sad, Mommy? It's okay if you didn't find my picture."

"No, we didn't, Little One."

I sat down next to them, unable to stop myself from kissing her forehead. I took a deep breath, knowing I needed to start this. My actions caused this. Granted, if I _hadn't_ slept with Kate she wouldn't be here, and I couldn't regret that for an instant. I did this, though, so I needed to be the one to start the most difficult conversation I'd ever have.

"We didn't find it because we don't have it," I said. "We don't have it because . . . we didn't get a picture of you in Mommy's belly. Unlike your brother or sister, you didn't grow in there. You grew inside of another woman."

"But . . . how?"

"Sweet girl, you grew in my heart," Bella said, caressing her cheek. "I didn't give birth to you, but that doesn't change how _much_ I love you. I know this is confusing, but we'll explain, okay?"

"You're my mommy, wight?"

She nodded feverishly. " _Yes_. I'm your mommy, and I'm going to be this baby's mommy, too."

"Babies come into the world the same way," I said, knowing I needed to admit how it _actually_ happened. "I know I told you it happens when mommies and daddies love each other, but sometimes it happens by accident. And sometimes, that mommy isn't ready to be a mommy. I don't know how that happens, but it does."

"I was an . . . accident?" Sofia asked as her lip jutted out.

"The _best_ accident in the world. Sometimes, accidents are good things. Very, _very_ good things. The woman whose belly you grew in wasn't ready to be a mommy, so it was just you and me for a little while. Actually, that's not true. It was just you and me for about an hour."

I smiled, looking up to see Bella's lips curl.

"So . . . how is Mommy my mommy?"

"Like I said, you grew in my heart," Bella said, holding her a little tighter. "The moment I saw you, my heart grew and I realized that I was a mommy. Just because you didn't grow in my belly doesn't mean I'm not your mommy. If anything, think about how special that makes you to me. I _found_ you and my heart grew so full of love that I couldn't contain it. It exploded with love. Just like with the baby inside of me, there wasn't a choice."

"I don't get it."

I nodded. "I know, baby. It's very confusing."

"No, I get that Mommy is my mommy, but what happened to my other mommy? Do I have two?"

"Her name is Kate," I sighed as tears formed in my eyes. "I met her when I was younger, and you grew in her belly. She wasn't ready to be a mommy, though, so she gave you to me. I don't know why she wasn't ready, baby. You don't have two mommies. Kate _isn't_ that for you, but that's okay because it gave Mommy the chance to find you. She was meant to be yours, and you were meant to be hers."

Her brow creased as she nibbled on her bottom lip, _just like_ Bella. "Do I have two daddies?"

"No," Bella said. "Daddy helped create you with Kate."

"Is he gonna do it again with another woman? Am I gonna have more bwothers and sisters?"

" _No_ ," I stressed, realizing I should have figured that'd bite me in the ass. "I love Mommy and _only_ Mommy now. The only way I'm having more babies is if we make them together."

"Did you love Kate?"

Jesus fucking Christ. I was _actually_ going to have to explain that I fucked up. And honestly, it served me right. After all the shitty things I did before Sofia, I deserved a hell of a lot worse.

"No, I didn't. I made a mistake, but that doesn't mean you were a mistake. Do you understand that? Daddy did it, and it had nothing to do with you."

"Did you get in twouble?"

"It wasn't that kind of mistake," Bella said, trying not to laugh.

The sleepless nights, shitty diapers, and _teething_ were my punishments for not keeping my dick in my pants — I wasn't telling Sofia that, though. And they were ones I would gladly do all over again to have her. Ones I _would_ be doing all over again to have our next child.

They were worth it and so much more.

"So, do you understand, baby girl?" I asked. "You didn't grow in Mommy's belly, but that doesn't change that she loves you more than anything in the world."

"I'm special because I made her heawt explode with love." She smiled, looking up at Bella.

"Exactly, sweetheart." Bella nodded, grinning "But, I'm going to love your sibling just as much as I love you. You'll always be my special little girl, though. This baby won't change that. The fact that it's growing in my belly doesn't change that."

"It's still kinda confusing, but as long as Mommy's my mommy, I get it."

Bella nuzzled her face into our daughter's hair as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm your mommy."

"How you came into this world will _never_ change that," I said, wrapping my arms around them both and kissing each of their cheeks. "We love you so much, Little One."

"I love you, too," she said. "It's okay, Mommy. Don't be sad anymore."

"Sweet girl, these are happy tears. I'm so happy that you know I'm your mommy. So very, _very_ happy. I didn't want you to be confused, is all. You can ask us any questions you want, okay?"

She wiped her tears and kissed the top of Little One's head as I continued to hold them both in my arms. This was the most terrifying conversation I'd ever had with my daughter, and I knew it wasn't over. As she grew, she'd understand better and have questions and doubts, but I hoped she'd remember this conversation — remember how happy Bella was to know that she still knew who her mommy was.

Because, no matter how she came into this world, Bella _was_ her mother. It was the love that mattered, not the how. And Bella loved Sofia as much as I did — she always had.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: First Recital**

Little One had passed out early, so Bella and I decided to head up to bed and enjoy the quite time tonight. Since we'd told her about Kate a few days ago, it had been question after question. I understood that she wanted to know everything, but at some point, there wouldn't be any more answers we could give her. She knew more now than I really wanted to tell her, but she begged Bella and me to explain exactly how Bella became her mom.

It was pretty fucking strange to tell her about our relationship in the beginning, but at the same time, I liked remembering it. Bella painted in such a way that I didn't seem as bad as I remembered. She told our daughter just how I was with her — little things that I'd forgotten. We even showed her the videos I'd taken of her milestones.

She fucking loved those.

All in all, telling her the truth wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. She was so young that I didn't think it was right to tell her now, but it seemed like we made the best decision. She wasn't upset about finding out that Bella wasn't her biological mom. In fact, she took the "grew in my heart" thing far, saying she was special because of it, which was the truth. Still, I feared for when the time came that she'd be upset by it. I knew it would come at some point, but for now I tried not to think about it.

We'd handle that, just like we had telling her — as a family.

"I'm trying not to feel all, 'woe is me because I'm getting fat,' but I kind of feel like that," Bella said, pouting as we lay in bed. She rubbed her stomach, tracing the few almost invisible stretch marks that had begun.

In the last week alone, her bump had grown quite a bit, making it even more prominent.

"You're sure as hell not fat, so you shouldn't feel like that," I said, turning onto my side. "I'll gladly remind you how gorgeous you are at any time."

She smiled, reaching up to caress my cheek. "Who told you to say that?"

"That is my own creation," I chuckled. "I can be smooth, you know. I'm down right Casanova-like."

"Oh yeah, you totally are." She rolled her eyes. "But thank you for saying that. My jeans don't fit anymore and I now have a zit for the first time in ten years, but I'm going to believe your lie."

"It's an adorable zit." I smirked. It wasn't, but, you know, I had to say it. Besides, it wasn't _that_ noticeable. If she hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't have seen it. "And I'm not lying."

I titled my head up, kissing her. My hand that bad been against her stomach moved north, testing the waters. She didn't smack my hand away, so hell yes for that.

"You're beautiful, Bella."

"I love you."

I smiled against her neck. "I love you, too. Is this okay?"

Her hand fisted in my hair, brining my lips back up to hers. "Of course it is. Lose the boxers, though."

I pulled away from her, kicking them off of me before she could change her mind. She was smiling beautifully, watching me closely. Before I could resume, though, she climbed on top of me, letting her hands roam over my chest as her lips pressed back against mine. Sure, she wasn't always in the mood for it lately, but when she was? Jesus fucking Christ, it was incredible.

And tonight, she was very clearly in the mood.

"You make me feel sexy," she said, pulling away and resting her forehead against mine. "I feel like my body isn't my own anymore, but you _still_ make me feel like I used to. I love you for that."

"You _are_ sexy. You're gorgeous, and nothing will change that. Those barely noticeable marks that are starting . . . they're not ugly. You're having our child, so nothing that happens because of that will ever make you any less beautiful to me."

"See?" she asked, smiling as tears filled her eyes. "You do _that_. You put aside your humor and say such sweet things when I need you to."

"It's the truth." I smiled, kissing her softly. "I can make a joke too, if you'd like."

"Don't ruin the moment," she giggled as I flipped her onto her back.

Soon enough, I'd gotten her tank top and panties off and just kissed her. My lips trailed along her jaw and neck as she hummed in satisfaction, pleading softly for more. I'd give this woman anything in the world and then some, so I didn't waste any time. My fingers slipped into her, moving quickly as she moaned my name.

Lately, she'd told me that the sex had been better than ever before — one of her favorite parts of the pregnancy when she was in the mood. I fucking loved that it was better. Her happiness was the most important thing to me — a complete three-sixty of how it used to be when I was with someone. Sure, I still wanted to get off, but I cared that she did, too.

And lately? It hadn't taken much. A few movements of my fingers and rubbing her clit made her cry out my name in no time. My lips pressed against hers, swallowing her cries as she came.

I pulled back, looking down at her as I grinned. Her cheeks and chest were flushed as she closed her eyes, smiling softly. She was fucking magnificent, and I was the luckiest man in the world.

"I love you," she whispered as I moved between her legs.

I caressed her cheek, dipping my head to kiss her as I moved into her slowly. "I love you, too."

She felt fucking incredible around me, like she did every time. As I moved my hips into her, she cried my name over and over, tossing in a "Jesus fucking Christ" at one point. She didn't curse often, but fuck, I loved it when she did.

 **. . . . .**

"You've got to be the _cutest_ ballerina in the world," I chuckled, kneeling down in front of Little One backstage at her first recital. "You're going to do great, so don't be nervous."

She bit her lip, looking down at her feet. "But what if I suck?"

In all of her life, I could count the times Sofia had been nervous on one hand. When she started school, her most recent set of shots, when she broke a vase at Mom's house by accident and thought she'd be in trouble, and a few days ago when we told her about Kate. She was the bravest little girl I'd ever known, but right now, she was far from it.

She was about to go on stage for the first time. Granted, there were probably only about sixty people in the audience, but to her, there were thousands. I fucking hated seeing her look so pitiful, but it was also kind of . . . cute.

My baby girl told Bella she needed _me_ , so I ran straight to her backstage.

"You will not suck," I said, caressing her cheek. "It's normal to be nervous, baby."

"You don't get newvous, Daddy."

"Me?" I laughed, shaking my head. "I get nervous _all_ the time, so does Mommy and everyone else. It's normal. I guess you're just a normal kid, huh?"

She cocked her head, narrowing her eyes as if I'd offended her. "I'm _special_."

"My apologizes, of course you are, but even special little girls get nervous. You don't want to quit."

She nodded. "Yes, I do."

"But you're not going to. You're going to go out on that stage and everyone is going to see how _great_ you are. Because you're _my_ little one. My little one isn't a quitter, is she?"

She huffed dramatically, causing me to have to stifle a laugh. The kid was fucking adorable, okay? Even her meltdowns were cute as hell. "Do I hafta?"

I nodded, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "Yeah, you do. I'll be right in the front row, okay? With everyone else. You're going to be amazing, and even if you stumble or forget something, you'll still be amazing. Just have fun. You have fun in class, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Then just imagine you're back there."

She threw her arms around my neck, squeezing me as tightly as she could. I avoided her hair for fear of Bella cutting off my balls as she threatened. Apparently, getting hair into a perfect bun was _not_ as simple as it seemed. But I mean, it seemed pretty fucking simple to me. Still, my wife was a terrifying pregnant chick and it was best to heed her warnings.

I very much liked my balls, after all.

"Are you ready now?" I asked as she relinquished her death grip on my neck.

"I guess so," she sighed. "I still get cake if I suck, right?"

I chuckled, grinning. "Of course you do. I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy."

I kissed her cheek one last time before waving her ballet instructor over and letting her know that Sofia was ready. The recital wasn't that big, so they'd waited for Little One before going on, pushing the show back about ten minutes.

Once I was sure she was all right, I walked back out to the high school auditorium they'd reserved for the show. My entire family as well as Charlie and Sue had come to see Little One, so most of the front row was them. I'd actually had Alice and Jasper arrive early to save these fuckers. There wasn't a chance in hell I was watching my baby's first recital from shitty seats.

"Is she going to do it?" Bella asked, lifting the bouquet of roses we'd gotten for Sofia from my seat, so that I could sit down.

I nodded. "Yeah, she's still nervous as hell, but I think she'll be all right."

"Finally, something the squirt is afraid of," Emmett laughed. "I guess jumping off of the jungle gym is nothing compared to performing in front of strangers."

I shook my head. "I guess not, but even if we know she fucks something up, don't tell her, all right?"

Everyone agreed easily, though I doubted the reminder was necessary. All that really mattered was that Little One tried. We all knew full well that she'd stumble — dance sure as hell wasn't her strong suit — but that didn't matter.

Once the lights dimmed in the auditorium and the stage lights flicked on brightly, I sat up a little in my seat, holding Bella's hand. All the girls came out in tutus, doing the routine they'd practice. When Little One emerged, her eyes scanned the front row before locking onto mine. She smiled, stopping dead in her tracks and waved, causing the audience to laugh.

"She's the cutest little girl in the world," Mom laughed from beside me. "Please, tell me you got that, Carlisle."

"Of course I did, dear," Dad said, holding the camera.

Over the next half hour, we watched as Little One and her classmates fucked up the routine completely. There was probably only one girl who was doing it right, and it sure as hell wasn't my kid.

She was a mess — a complete and total disaster — but holy fucking shit was it priceless. At one point, I was pretty sure she forgot all of the moves and just started jumping and twirling. It was . . . hilariously awful.

"I'm sorry, Edward, but your kid isn't cut out for this shit," Emmett laughed, shaking his head from down the row.

I couldn't even be pissed at him. "Fuck you, she's perfect," I said, chuckling.

I heard a hush from behind me at my language, but I couldn't seem to care. I was pretty damn right about that special thing, let's just say. I mean, I loved her with all of my heart, but . . . she was awful.

Perfectly awful.

"Maybe she'd like painting?" Bella suggested. "I'd say gymnastics, but that'd be extremely dangerous."

I shrugged. "I don't know, but I think we're done with the ballet classes."

She nodded, covering her mouth to stop from laughing. I looked back at the stage, finding Little One lying down and kicking her feet. The other girls were doing it too, but not as . . . _interestingly_ as she was.

Thankfully, it was over after that. All the girls stood up — Sofia winding up in the middle somehow — and took a bow before the curtain closed. I didn't give a shit that we'd wasted hundreds of dollars on these lessons because it was hundreds of dollars' worth of entertainment. Little One was smiling brightly when it ended, which was all that mattered.

 **. . . . .**

Once the show was over, Little One ran out to us in the hallway of the high school with her classmates. Between all of us, she managed five different bouquets of roses. And trust me, she didn't give a shit about how well she did once she saw them.

The whole love of flowers thing from when she was a baby had stuck pretty well. It was a damn good thing that her grandmother owned a shop.

"Did you have fun, sweetpea?" Dad asked, handing Sofia a pink bouquet of roses.

She added them to her pile on her arm and nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "I didn't suck, right, Pawpaw?"

"Not even a little," he lied easily. "You looked _beautiful._ "

"Mommy did my hair." She grinned, touching it softly. "Is it cake time now?"

"It sure is, baby," I said, lifting her up into my arms. "You were _incredible_ , like I said you'd be. Are you glad you didn't quit?"

"Uh-huh, but I kinda messed up."

I gasped, feigning shock. "I couldn't tell. No one could, right?"

They all shook their heads, smiling as they lied through their teeth. Tomorrow, Bella and I would talk to her about other activities, but tonight I wanted her to believe that she was as amazing as she felt. There was no point in crushing her ballerina dreams just yet.

Once she'd said goodbye to her friends and teachers, we all headed to my parents' house for the party. It wasn't anything big, but Mom had decorated the dining room and living room in pink streamers and she even had a fucking banner made that said, "Congratulations on your first recital, Sofia!"

Of course my kid got a kick out of it, loving every moment of her little party — even if she didn't get gifts. Charlie and Sue had come as well, and Sofia spent a good twenty minutes explaining to Sue about the dances she learned. She even did parts of it again for us, soaking up the attention.

Eventually, she did get the cake she was promised. Rosalie had actually made it, and it looked pretty decent. I guess baking was her newest hobby or some shit. We headed into the dining room for it, and I sat Little One in my lap as Rose placed it on the table in front of her.

"Do I get to keep the ballawina?" Little One asked, grinning as she looked at the pink monstrosity of a cake with the figurine on top.

"Of course, sweetheart," Rose said. "Does it look pretty? I made it myself, you know?"

"It's so pretty!" she said. "Right, Daddy?"

I nodded. "It's beautiful, baby girl. Don't you need to say something to Nana and Auntie?"

"Oh! Thank you!"

"You're welcome, honey," Mom said, smiling. "Now, how about some cake?"

"Yes! Mommy, it's _so_ pretty, right?"

Bella nodded from beside me with her brow creased slightly and her cheeks more pale than usual. "It is, sweet girl," she said. "I'll be right back, though, okay?"

"Are you okay?" I asked softly. She'd gone from being so happy to looking like something was wrong. "Are you going to be sick?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just have to go to the bathroom, all right? Start eating without me."

As she stood and walked away, the back of her light grey dress caught my eye. My heart raced and, for a moment, the world seemed to just . . . stop.

"Bella, your dress," I said, eyes wide on her.

The room fell silent as she looked down, noticing the red slowly trickling down her leg. "Oh," she said softly as I moved Sofia to Rose's lap and rushed out of my seat. "I don't . . . feel right."

My arms were already around her, trying to sit her down in a chair as her eyes rolled back into her head and she began falling forward.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Fearful**

"Where the _fuck_ is she?" I asked, running my hand through my hair as my foot bounced on the linoleum floor.

"I'm sure she's on her way," Bella said, squeezing my hand. "Calm down, please? You're scaring me."

I let out a long breath, dropping my forehead to hers. How the fuck was I supposed to calm down? Dr. Uley said she'd be here twenty minutes ago, and she wasn't. We were in the ER, and all we knew right now was that our baby still had a heartbeat — a strong one, at least. But we still didn't know why the hell she was bleeding.

"It's going to be all right," I said for her sake, kissing her temple as I sat back up in my chair. "If she's not here soon, I'll do the damn ultrasound myself."

"Well, then I guess I'm just in time," Dr. Uley said, smiling sadly as she closed the exam room door behind her. "I was in Forks with another patient, but I came as quickly as I could. How are you feeling, Bella?"

"Um . . . a little better," she said, wiping her eyes. "I'm just really worried."

Dr. Uley nodded, pulling the stool over and sitting down. She opened Bella's chart, reading over the information I'd already told her when we talked on the phone.

After Bella passed out, Dad had called an ambulance. Thankfully, she woke up soon after losing consciousness, so it was likely that she'd fainted from the sight of the blood and not because of blood loss. When we got to the ER, the bleeding wasn't too heavy, but it was alarming all the same. She was seventeen weeks along. She shouldn't have even been spotting still, let alone bleeding enough that it trickled down her legs.

"The good news is that the baby isn't in distress," Dr. Uley said. "Your blood pressure has returned to normal and the bleeding has stopped, so I don't believe it's significant enough to endanger either of you. We're going to do an ultrasound to hopefully determine the cause, all right?"

Bella nodded, gripping my hand tightly. "What could it be?"

"There are a few possible causes, but let's find out for sure before discussing them. We should actually be able to determine the sex now, if you'd like to know."

I looked at Bella and said, "Yeah, we do."

Once she pulled the machine over and started it, I helped Bella move the hospital gown up and took her hand once more. My eyes were trained on the screen, praying that it wasn't anything serious. _I_ was _praying_. I couldn't lose either of them, and when Bella fainted, I thought I had.

I'd never been so fucking terrified in my life.

"This will be a little cold," Dr. Uley said, squeezing the jelly onto Bella's stomach before placing the transducer over it. "Let's take a look."

My eyes continued to bore into the screen, trying to make out what I was seeing. It didn't take long to realize the cause of the bleeding. The placenta was partially over Bella's cervix — a hell of a long way from where it should have been at the top of her uterus.

"Bella, do see this right here?" Dr. Uley asked, pointing out the placenta on the screen. "That's your placenta, and right here," she moved her fingers, "is your cervix. The condition is called placenta previa and the good news is that yours is referred to as partial. That means that it's close to your cervix and covering it slightly, but not completely, which is a good thing."

"Does it hurt the baby?" Bella asked as tears formed in her eyes again.

She shook her head. "Not right now, but it is the cause of your bleeding. Now, hopefully, as your uterus and placenta grow it'll move away from your cervix. Imagine I drew a dot on a balloon then blew it up. The dot doesn't actually move, but it shifts away from where it was originally. There's a _very_ good chance it will shift as your uterus grows, all right? For now, though, we'll keep a close eye on it and you'll have some restrictions."

"Anything," Bella said, nodding as I did. "Are sure it's not hurting the baby? I mean, could I lose it?"

"I highly doubt that. If it doesn't move like I suspect it will, it could mean that you'll need a C-section, but that's something to worry about as your pregnancy progresses. Right now, your baby is doing _great._ How about telling your wife the sex, Dr. Cullen?"

"Oh . . . yeah, of course." I smiled, looking back to the screen as she moved the wand. I squeezed Bella's hand, looking for the sign. I easily saw it and had to laugh softly. "You were right."

Her eyes widened as I looked down at her. "A boy?"

I nodded, grinning as my emotions overtook and tears formed in my eyes. "That's our son, Bella. We're having a little boy."

"Oh my God!" She smiled. "We're having a baby boy."

I leaned down, kissing her softly. Holy shit, I was having a boy . . . a son, like I'd hoped. Bella knew it, but I honestly hadn't believed her. I mean, I thought I'd wind up with girl after girl. I'd have been happy with a girl, of course, but I _did_ want a boy at some point.

"Our son is going to be all right," I said, caressing her cheek. "God, Bella, you know how to scare the shit out of me."

"I'm sorry, but . . . a boy," she laughed softly. "Does that help?"

"All I care about is that you two are healthy." I looked back up at Dr. Uley. "What can we do to keep them that way?"

"First off, no more sex for a while," she said and I kind of felt like I'd been kicked in the balls. I mean, in the back of my mind I _knew_ that, but still . . . I liked sex. I loved my wife and son more, though. "I know that's _very_ disappointing, but until the placenta has moved away, it's the safest thing. I'm also putting you on bed rest for a few weeks, Bella. Hopefully it won't be for long, but the less activity the better right now. Strenuous activities could provoke more bleeding, which we need to avoid."

"I have a five-year-old," Bella said. "Who, by the way, is probably scared out of her mind."

"I'll call Rosalie in a few minutes," I said.

"Still, I have to work and take of her. I can't be in bed for a few weeks."

"We'll do whatever we have to, all right? I'll take some time off or maybe Mom could help a few days a week. We'll make it work. She'll understand."

At least I hoped so. Little One had been good with Bella's pregnancy so far, but if Bella couldn't do the things she normally did, Sofia might have a difficult time adjusting. She was a good kid, though, so she'd probably understand. I'd just have to explain it to her and try to compensate.

"It's only for a few weeks," Dr. Uley said. "And it won't be full bed rest. You'll be able to walk around some, but I'd like you to rest as much as possible until we see some change. It won't be for your entire pregnancy."

Bella sighed, nodding. "I'll do whatever I have to. It's just . . . I didn't want this to affect Sofia so much, and now it will."

"She'll be okay, Bella," I said, kissing her forehead. "We'll make it work."

 **. . . . .**

Though the bleeding had stopped and both Bella and our son were all right, Dr. Uley wanted to keep her overnight for observation. She called it a precaution, but that didn't make Bella any less pissed that she couldn't go home and see our daughter.

Once I'd finally calmed her down by promising that I'd bring Sofia in first thing in the morning, I left to go talk to my parents, Charlie, Sue, Alice, and Jasper who'd followed us to the hospital. Rosalie and Emmett stayed with Sofia and took her back to their house with the boys, hoping it'd keep her occupied and her mind off of what she'd witnessed tonight.

I was _terrified_ , but Little One? I'd never heard her scream so loudly as when Bella was being loaded into the ambulance. It was heart wrenching and awful.

"Is she okay?" Mom asked, jumping from her seat with Charlie as I walked into the waiting room.

I nodded, sighing. "Yeah, she's doing a lot better."

"What happened?" Dad asked.

"Can I see her?" Charlie asked.

"Uh, yeah," I said, sitting down next to them. "She's in room thirteen right now. She's being moved upstairs for observation in a little while, but you have some time. She and the baby are all right, but she has partial placenta previa."

"What the hell is that?" Charlie asked, creasing his brow. "She's not going to lose it or anything, right?"

I shook my head. "No, it's a condition where the placenta is partially covering her cervix. She's lucky and it's not covering it completely, but she has to take it easy for a while until it moves, which Dr. Uley is certain it will. She was pretty active tonight, which is what caused the bleeding."

"She's not in any danger, though, right?"

"No, she'll be fine . . . and so will our son."

Mom's eyes grew wide, catching my words before they registered with anyone else. "You're having a boy?"

I smiled, laughing softly. "Unbelievable, right? It's kind of the . . . bright side to this shitty night."

"Oh, sweetie!" she said, throwing her arm around my neck and embracing me tightly. "That's so wonderful! God, you must be thrilled."

I nodded as everyone congratulated me. This wasn't exactly the way I'd envisioned telling our family, but Bella gave me the go-ahead on the condition that she got to tell Sofia. It was fucking incredible news after the horrible night, so she wanted everyone to know and focus on that.

"I'm going to go see her, okay?" Charlie asked, smiling. "A boy . . . God, that's great news, son."

"She knew," I laughed as he stood up. "I didn't believe her, but she was sure."

"My girl has a damn good intuition," he said, chuckling softly before walking away.

"I guess that'll teach you to listen to her," Alice said. "I'm so glad she's okay."

"Me too," I said, leaning back and running my hand through my hair. "Fuck, that was the scariest thing I've ever gone through. I thought I was losing them."

Dad laid his hand my shoulder, squeezing it gently. "I'm so sorry this happened, but at least it's not the worst case scenario. In a few weeks, you probably won't even have to worry about it anymore."

I nodded. "Yeah, it's just . . . holy shit."

"I know, son. Now, I think you have a little girl to call, don't you?"

"Shit," I cursed, looking at my watch. It was past eleven, but I highly doubted she'd passed out yet. "Maybe give Charlie a few minutes and then go see her, all right? I'm going to call Rose and get a cup of coffee."

"Good idea," Mom said, hugging me once more. "I'm so glad that it's going to be okay."

"Me too," I said, standing up. "I'll be in soon."

After leaving the waiting room, I used the badge I had from when I worked here to get into the doctor's lounge for the good shit. Thankfully, the room was empty, so after filling a cup, I sat down and called Rose.

She answered almost instantly. "What's going on?"

"Bella and the baby are going to fine," I said. "She has partial placenta previa, so they're keeping her for observation tonight and she'll go home tomorrow with some restrictions. It's bad, but not even close to as bad as it could be."

"Oh, thank God," she sighed in relief. "I'm so sorry, Edward."

I nodded to myself, taking a deep breath. "Thanks, but I have some good news. Are you near Sofia?"

"No, Emmett's got her in the den, keeping her occupied with a video game. The boys were already asleep when we got home, so we've kept her downstairs. She's a _mess_."

"Don't tell her because Bella wants to, but we did find out that it's a boy."

"Aww! That's great! I bet you're thrilled, huh?"

"Yeah," I chuckled. "I mean, I'd have been just as happy with a girl, but . . . I'm pretty fucking happy that it's a boy, let's just say."

"Please, you probably got down on your hands and knees every night and prayed for a boy," she laughed. "In all seriousness, though, that's great. I'm so glad they're both okay. I promise not to spill the beans to Sofia."

"Thanks. Can I talk to her?"

"Of course, I'm heading into the den now."

"Is that Daddy?" I heard Little One yell clear as day.

"Yep, here you go, sweetheart," Rose said. "Don't hang up once you're done, all right?"

"Uh-huh," Sofia said. "Daddy, is Mommy okay? Is the baby? Can I see her? Are you coming home?"

I smiled to myself, setting the coffee cup back down. "Mommy and the baby will be fine. She's got to take it easy for a little while, but I promise it's all going to be all right. I'm afraid you can't see her until tomorrow, though."

"No," she whined. "Bwing her home, please?"

"I wish I could, baby girl," I sighed. "I'll come get you _first_ thing in the morning, though, okay? We'll all go home tomorrow, but tonight, I need you to be a good girl and stay with Auntie and Uncle. Mommy's going to get settled into another room, and then I'll have her call you back, okay?"

"But I don't wanna stay here."

Jesus Christ, I could just imagine her fucking pout and it killed me. I hated this, but she couldn't come here tonight. Visiting hours were over and there was no way in hell I'd be able to sneak her in to stay. Trust me, I even thought about it.

"I'm so sorry, Little One," I said. "I promise I'll come get you first thing tomorrow, okay? I know it sucks, but that's the way it has to be. Mommy needs her rest."

She huffed. "Pwomise you'll come get me?"

"I cross my heart. That's a serious promise, remember?"

"Yeah . . . but I don't like it."

"I don't either. I love you."

"Love you, too. Mommy's gonna call soon, wight?"

I nodded to myself. "Yes, I'm going to check on her and I'll have her call. I'll see you in the morning, okay? Be good for Auntie and Uncle."

"I will. Bye, Daddy. Love you."

"I love you more."

 **. . . . .**

After hanging up with Little One and Rose, I headed back to Bella's room in the ER. I met Alice and Jasper in the hallway on their way out, and they promised to call in the morning. Jasper said he'd be working, so he'd try and stop in before Bella was discharged.

When I walked into the room, my mother and Bella shared a conniving look. Nothing good ever, _ever_ came out of that look, and I'd witnessed it quite a few times over the years. It normally meant that I was about to be fucked. Hard.

"Your mom wants to stay with us for a few weeks," Bella said, smiling. "Isn't that great? She'll help around the house and with Sofia until I'm back on my feet. You won't even have to take time off."

My mouth fell open as I watched my life as I knew it — and liked it — end. I wasn't going to get laid anytime soon, and now my _mom_ was moving in with us. That was just fucking fantastic.

"What about Dad?" I asked, going out to sit by Bella's right side.

"I'm sure I can survive alone for a few weeks," he said as I narrowed my eyes. He was the only chance in hell that I had to get the fuck out of this god-awful arrangement. "I think it's a good idea."

"I won't be a bother," Mom said, laughing softly. "I told you this would freak him out, Bella."

"He'll live," she said, smiling as she squeezed my hand. "It's only for a few weeks, and I think it'll be good for Sofia. It's not normal, but . . . it's something. It's not like you can take weeks off of work to care for me and the house will be a disaster if I leave it to you. It takes a load off of my mind."

This was the worst idea I'd ever heard, but I could easily tell there was no getting out of it. Unfortunately, Bella loved my mother . . . _a lot_ and I probably should have seen this coming. Part of me kind of wished they shared the relationship that Rose and Emmett's mom did.

That chick _hated_ my sister.

"I'm sure I can get the rest of the week off, so when do you want to come?" I asked.

"I can wait until you go back to work," Mom said. "I promise I won't bother you too much, but with Bella on bed rest and Sofia being so active, it's the best idea we could come up with. I thought about just coming down every morning, but that's a lot of driving and you work nights sometimes."

"Will you be okay with it?" Bella asked. "I'd really appreciate the help."

I sighed, nodding. There was no getting out of it, so I decided lying would be the best option. After all, it was only a few weeks.

Please, God, let it be a quick few weeks.

 **. . . . .**

"I'm so sorry, sweet girl," Bella said, sniffling as she spoke to Sofia. "I'll see you in the morning, though. That's not too far away."

I caressed my thumb over her hand, knowing how fucking hard this was for her. Once everyone left, Bella was soon transferred and she called Little One the second she could. They'd been talking for twenty minutes, and Bella had probably apologized at least ten times.

"Sleep well, okay? I know it's weird, but it'll be over soon. I love you _so_ much."

I lifted her hand, kissing the back of it as tears rolled down her cheeks. After another round of apologizes, I love yous, and sleep wells, Bella finally hung up the phone and passed it back to me.

"I hate doing this to her," she said as I wiped her cheeks. "She sounds so pitiful, you know? God, she can tug on my heart strings like a pro."

"She's good at that," I said, smiling softly. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I just wish this hadn't happened. Of all the nights, huh? It kind of seems like bad things happen at large family gatherings."

"It's just shitty luck. Move over."

She sniffled, gently shifting as far as she could on the small hospital bed. I got up on it, stretching out beside her and opening my arm, letting her rest her head on my chest as I held her.

"She'll be fine tonight, so let's stop worrying," I said. "Rose and Emmett will take good care of her, and I'll go get her when we wake up. Let's talk about our son."

She titled her head up, smiling as I kissed her forehead. "I guess I shouldn't really make plans, huh? I had this idea in my head about forbidding you from seeing the ultrasound and having Dr. Uley put the gender in a note and having cupcakes made or something. You, Sofia, and me would find out together at home."

I laughed at the detail she'd planned out, and the fact that she could ever forbid me from seeing the damn ultrasound. "Well, maybe we'll still have cupcakes made and tell Sofia that way."

She nodded. "I'd like that. And I mean, I _did_ like that you told me. I just . . . knew it. I can't explain it, but I had this overwhelming feeling that he was a boy. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I'm really glad I was right."

"Me too," I chuckled. "God, it's kind of perfect, isn't it? A girl and a boy."

"Yep, and that's all I want . . . Is that okay?"

I shrugged. "I never envisioned myself with tons of kids. I wanted us to have one together, so if you're done, I am too. Maybe we'll change our minds in a few years, but either way, I'm pretty fucking thrilled."

"Maybe, but I'm happy with one of each. It's our perfect family, no matter how big."

"Exactly." I grinned. "I love you so much, you know that? If I'd lost you . . . God, I couldn't. I couldn't have handled that, and I thought I had. Do me a favor and don't _ever_ do that to me again, okay?"

"It wasn't exactly fun for me either, you know," she sighed. "It _sucks_. All of it does, but I'm just glad he's okay."

I placed my hand over hers on my stomach, caressing it with my thumb. "He's perfect. Look at his heart rate. It couldn't be any better."

She glanced over at the monitor, smiling. "He's going to be a good man, just like his daddy."

I smirked. "Hopefully a hell of a lot better."

"Don't go berating yourself again, Edward. You're incredible. The only reason I stated calm tonight was because of you. It makes me feel safe that you can manage that. When I'm falling apart, you can always keep me together."

"The outside was _very_ different from the inside. You need to get some rest, okay? I'll stay right here unless you want me to move."

"Don't even think about it."

She titled her head up, pressing her lips to mine. I savored the moment of quietness — the only sounds being the soft beeping of the monitors. In that moment, I knew everything would be okay. Not easy, but okay. We were having a beautiful baby boy in a few short months, so I'd deal with whatever it took to get there.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Fun Reveal**

I slept like shit and my back was killing me once I finally got out of the small hospital bed around seven in the morning. Bella was still sound asleep, so I decided not to wake her up and let her know I was leaving. I'd already gotten a text from Rose, saying that Sofia was up and ready, so I wanted to keep my promise.

"Dr. Uley makes her rounds about eight-thirty, so she'll start discharge paperwork then," Caroline, Bella's nurse said.

I nodded. "Good. I'm going to go grab our daughter, but I didn't want to wake her up. I'll be back in a half hour tops, all right?"

"Sounds good." She smiled. "I'm going to check on her, but I'll try not to disturb her. Oh, and uh, you have a little . . ." She motioned to my head, laughing softly.

I ran my hand through my hair, smiling tightly. It probably looked like a fucking bird had nested, but I didn't really care. I needed coffee and my daughter — in that order — to function properly. And after getting the coffee I so dearly needed, I found my car that Dad had left for me and drove over to Rose's house.

I swear to fucking god, Little One was waiting in the window — her nose pressed to the damn glass as I pulled up. The door swung open seconds after she disappeared, and she came running out and into my arms the moment I'd gotten out of the car.

"I missed you, Daddy," she said, squeezing my neck tightly. "Where's Mommy? Can we go now? Please? Please? _Please_?"

I kissed her cheek and smiled, pulling back. "Let me talk to Auntie for a minute, and then we'll go, okay? Are you already dressed?"

She grinned, nodding as I looked at the shoes she'd already put on. "I been awake since five."

I snorted, feeling a little sorry for my sister. When my kid put her mind to something, there was no chance in hell to divert her. At least she'd probably nap today. Once we walked into the house, I put her down and headed into the kitchen, finding Rose feeding Felix as Ben ate his cereal quietly.

"I swear I made sure it was you before I let her run out," Rose said, smiling. "I couldn't have held her back if I'd tried."

I shrugged, reaching for a mug and helping myself to another cup of coffee. "It was a nice welcome. How much of a hellion was she?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "I know for sure that I don't want another kid, if that tells you anything. I'll take my physically exhausting boys over your mentally exhausting girl _any_ day."

"You get used to her," I chuckled, sitting down. "Really, thank you so much for taking care of her. It means a lot."

"Any time, Edward. So . . . I heard that Mom's moving in." She smirked, spooning more cereal into Felix's mouth.

"She already told you?"

She nodded. "Yep, I just got off the phone with her about ten minutes ago. I'd say I'm sorry, but . . . I think it's hilarious. I guess that's what you get for moving almost an hour away."

I sighed, running my hand through my hair. "It's only a few weeks and Bella _really_ likes the idea. We have plenty of room, so maybe it won't be too bad."

"I love our mother, but she doesn't understand boundaries. At all. So, good luck with this."

"Thanks," I scoffed, lifting the mug.

I managed to finish half of the cup before Little One decided enough was enough. I was pretty sure that if she could reach the pedals, she'd have left without me. And I figured that I probably shouldn't have tested her to see if she'd try.

As we drove toward the hospital, I tried to explain as easily as I could what had happened to Bella, but it was a little above her understanding. She got that Bella needed to take it easy, but explaining a placenta to a five year old? Ha. Thankfully, she didn't need to know exactly what was wrong, and agreed easily to take it easy on her mom for a little while.

"We gonna go home today, right?" Little One asked as I carried her through the hospital corridor.

I nodded. "Yeah, but remember what I said, okay? Mommy's going to need to rest, so she can't play with you a lot. Maybe today we'll just watch movies in bed with her, all right?"

She smiled. "I like that."

Pushing open the door to Bella's room, I found her sitting up in bed with a tray of the disgusting hospital food in front of her. The moment she saw Sofia, the scowl on her beautiful face disappeared and she lit up.

"Mommy!" Little One squealed, wiggling in my arms.

"Hi, sweet girl. Edward, put her beside me," Bella said, grinning as she moved over a little.

I set Little One down, and her arms basically locked around Bella's neck, holding onto her for dear life. The moment they shared was fucking priceless and made me smile, watching them closely as I sat down in a chair next to them.

"I missed you _so_ much, sweetie," Bella said, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "I'm so sorry for scaring you. I can't imagine how awful that was for you."

"I thought you were dying," Little One sniffled. "You're not, wight?"

She shook her head, pulling her close to her again. "Of course not. The baby and I are going to be just fine. See?"

She laid Sofia's hand over her stomach, smiling softly.

"It's bigger, Mommy."

"You think so?"

Sofia nodded. "Yeah. Isn't it, Daddy?"

"It's growing every day, baby girl," I said, reaching up to caress her cheek. "And in a few weeks, you'll get to feel it kicking. Isn't that cool?"

Her eyes grew wide as she grinned. "So cool! I wanna feel it now!"

"Soon, sweet girl," Bella chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "Now do you see that Mommy and baby are just fine? I know it was scary last night, but it's all over now. We're going to go home very soon."

"Daddy said we getta sit in bed and watch movies."

Bella laughed softly, nodding. "I think that sounds like a _great_ idea."

 **. . . . .**

Once Dr. Uley signed Bella's discharge paperwork, it took another hour before we could leave. In that time, Bella and Sofia managed to make an extensive list of movies to watch — all of which had _zero_ fucking appeal to me.

The good news was that Mom wasn't coming to our house until tomorrow, so at least I was only forced to watch to shitty movies and not have to deal with that just yet. I _really_ wasn't looking forward to it, to say the least.

"Oh, I think our mattress is heaven," Bella said, easing onto our bed. "Yep, definitely heaven."

"I thought you wanted to get a bath first," I laughed, taking off her shoes.

She sighed, nodding. "Yeah, but I kind of don't want to move. That bed was _awful_ and I'm exhausted. How mad do you think Sofia will be if I fall asleep on her?"

"Well, she's been up since five, so I'm guessing she'll pass out with you. At least I hope she will because she'll get an attitude soon if she doesn't."

"Poor girl. I hate doing this to her, but you'll help out. I know you will."

I nodded. "Of course, Nibbles. It'll all work out and you'll be back out your feet before Christmas. Now, do you, uh . . . want me to start your bath?"

She laughed loudly, covering her mouth as I cocked my head. "I'm sorry, but . . . you're being so sweet and it's weird. Nice, but weird."

"I'm a _very_ sweet guy, you know."

She lifted her hand, laying it on the side of my face. "Of course you are, and yes, I'd love it if you'd start it for me. Thank you."

I leaned in, kissing her softly. "You're welcome."

 **. . . . .**

After Bella got a bath and I helped Sofia get one, we all settled onto our big bed and started the shitty Disney movie. As predicted, they both passed out soon into it and I wasn't far behind.

The next day was pretty similar — spending most of the day in bed and watching movies — with the exception of my mom arriving mid-afternoon. Seeing her huge suitcase and carful of groceries really made things sink in. It wasn't what I wanted, but I knew she would be a huge help.

Of course, Little One was _thrilled_ with the addition and fully believed it should be permanent. Fuck no. I'd deal with it for a few weeks, but Sofia wasn't getting her way on that one. It _did_ give Bella a break, though, which was the most important thing. She got the chance to rest without Sofia curled into her side. She needed to rest and not worry, which my mother made sure of.

When Monday came around, Little One was pissed that she had to go back to school without Bella. The tantrum probably made it into the top five worst ones she'd had, but Bella managed to calm her down when I couldn't. The fact was that Bella couldn't work right now. She didn't want to be completely done yet, but depending on what happened with the placenta, she could be. She didn't want to talk about that possibility, but I knew it was on her mind and upset her.

She loved teaching. Of course she'd decided to take time off after the baby, but she wasn't ready to give it up yet and I couldn't blame her.

"I'm sure I could take another day if you want me to," I said, sitting down next to Bella in bed.

She smiled, taking my hand. "Don't be as bad as Sofia. Your mom will take great care of me, and she even said I could help her fold laundry so I don't _die_ of boredom. Two days in bed, and I'm already excited about doing housework."

"That's sad," I sighed, laughing softly. "But really, I could keep you company. I don't have any procedures scheduled."

"I see exactly where Sofia gets that bottom lip from." She traced over my lip, bringing her hand up to cup my cheek. Pouting is unbecoming of you. Go to work and take care of _other_ people. I'll be fine."

I laid my hand over her stomach, nodding. "All right, but I'm just a phone call away, and if I don't answer, call the hospital and have me paged. I love you."

"I love you, too," she said as I leaned in to kiss her.

Once I pulled away, I kissed her stomach and then headed out, feeling like shit for having to leave her. Maybe I was as bad as Little One, but this fucking sucked. I was still scared, to be honest. I was afraid something would happen, and I wasn't there to help her.

I was terrified to lose her, and I was lucky I hadn't three days ago. It was a rude awakening to the dangers of pregnancy. All the things I'd feared from the moment I found out she was pregnant.

But, I had to look on the bright side. Of all the things to happen, this wasn't close to the worst.

 **. . . . .**

A few days had passed since Mom moved in and it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. She was a huge help with the house and Sofia, but she also gave Bella and I our privacy — which was what I'd been worried about. She usually wasn't so great with boundaries.

"Cupcakes are done," Mom said, smiling as she laid the tray of decorated cupcakes on the island. "All the evidence of the blue is hidden, so Sofia will be completely surprised when she bites in."

I put my hand out, about to grab one but she smacked it away. "What the hell?"

"You're waiting!" she laughed. "Bella wants to do it after dinner, so deal with it. How was your day?"

I shrugged, laying my bag over the chair. "Not too bad. How's Bella? Is Little One with her?"

She nodded. "Yep, they're in your room. She's starting to go a little stir crazy, so I let her help me put dinner together earlier." Before I could interrupt her, she continued. "She sat right in that chair and I didn't let her move too much. I can be pretty stern, you know."

I scoffed. "I do recall my childhood. Put the fear of God into her, right?"

"Only a little," she laughed softly. "We also decided to do Thanksgiving here this year since she can't really go anywhere. She doesn't want to miss it just because of this."

"I think it's a good idea. You know how she loves the holidays."

"Exactly. And dinner's ready, so why don't you go get them?"

I nodded and kissed her cheek. "Will do and . . . thanks for helping out and not making her feel so bedridden."

"It's my pleasure." She smiled. "I promise that I won't intrude forever."

"It's not . . . bad. I mean, it's just something to get used to. I'm sorry if I've made you feel unwelcome. All of this has just taken its toll, you know?"

She nodded, coming around to wrap her arm around me. "I know, sweetheart. It's all going to be okay, though. In a few short months all of this worry will be forgotten as you look at your beautiful son."

"God, I can't wait," I sighed happily. "He's going to be amazing."

She smiled. "He'll be a Cullen, so there's no doubt about that. Now, go get Bella and Sofia for me."

When I got upstairs, I found Little One with her face against Bella's growing stomach, talking to her sibling. Fuck, she was cute. I didn't want to interrupt it, but Bella quickly noticed me, which made Sofia lift her head up.

I got my usual hugs and kisses from my little girl and then shooed her downstairs with her nana, so I could have some alone time with my wife. The no sex thing fucking sucked. It'd been officially a week since the last time we'd had sex, and I mourned on the anniversary.

"How's the boy?" I asked, sitting down beside her and kissing her. I laid my hand on her stomach, caressing it lightly.

"He's good. Your mom made us buffalo strips for lunch, which he approved of, but my heart burn reminded me I shouldn't have," she said.

"Are you feeling all right?"

She nodded. "Perfect. How was your day?"

"Pretty good. There wasn't anything too exciting, but I think I've set a new record doing stitches. Like, so fucking fast." I smirked.

She laughed. "Well, congratulations on that. Help me up, will you?"

"Of course." I stood up, holding both of my hands out for hers. "Mom's got the cupcakes ready, so I'm sure Little One will try to get you to give her one."

"I can be strong," she giggled. "I'm still shocked you've gone a week without spilling the beans. Thank you."

 **. . . . .**

"Is it cupcake time yet?" Little One asked, bouncing in her seat. "I want one _sooooo_ bad!"

"Well, they're actually special cupcakes, sweet girl," Bella said, smiling. "When I was in the hospital, Daddy and I found out whether you're having a brother or sister."

"Is it a girl?"

We shared a look, knowing she probably wouldn't be as thrilled as we were with the fact that it what a boy. Still, she knew the chances were even and said that if it were a boy, she'd still love him.

She acted like that would be a favor to us, which was kind of hilarious at the time.

"You have to bite into the cupcake to see," I said, picking one up off of the tray and passing it to her. "Ah, wait for everyone."

She grinned sheepishly, pulling it away from her mouth as we all grabbed one. Mom had made a vanilla cake mix and dyed it blue, using black wrappers so you couldn't see the color.

"Okay, go ahead," Bella said, reaching out to take my hand.

Little One didn't waste a second, biting into it quickly. She pulled the cupcake back, eyes wide at the blue.

"A boy?" she asked with her mouthful — the blue cake crumpling out.

"I'm sorry it's not a girl, but isn't this exciting?" Bella asked.

"I'm gonna have a brother! That's cool, too!"

"See? I knew she'd be happy," I laughed. "No ribbons in his hair, though, got it?"

Her nose crinkled as she shook her head.

"Maybe once or twice," Bella said, smirking.

I huffed, shaking my head. They could say what they wanted, but there was no fucking chance in hell Little One was putting bows in my son's hair. I'd fight that one _hard_. This was finally my chance not have to dress up, participate in tea parties, and let my kid paint my nails — it happened _once_ , I swear.

"But since this one's a boy, can the next one be a girl, please?" Little One asked. "Like, can Daddy put a girl in there with him so they come out togeder? Because I _really_ want a girl, too. Please?"

I chocked on the cupcake in my mouth as Bella and Mom laughed their asses off. Clearly, I didn't explain the whole baby-making process very well. And if she thought she was getting another baby anytime soon, she was in for a rude awakening.

Very rude.

"That's not possible, sweet girl," Bella said, clearing her throat as she calmed down. Little One looked at her curiously, probably wondering what the fuck was so funny. "Daddy and I have no control over what we have, remember?"

"Then bwing a girl home, too. Maybe there's another Mommy like Kate that isn't ready for a baby."

"Baby girl, we're just bringing home a boy when it's time," I said. "I know you want a girl, but that's not going to happen right now. I think you'll _really_ like your brother, so how about giving him a chance?"

"If I don't like him, can you trade him?" she asked in all seriousness.

"You will _love_ him," Mom said. "You know, Auntie felt the same way about your daddy? But then once we brought him home, she adored him. You'll get to help Mommy take care of him and once he's a little older, you'll even be able to play with him."

Little One sighed dramatically, shaking her head. " _Fine_. But I might not like him."

"I promise you will, sweetie," Bella said. "How about giving him a kiss, hmm?"

Little One climbed off of her chair as Bella scooted back and lifted her shirt. Sofia didn't bother wiping her mouth off before giving Bella's stomach a sloppy, blue kiss.

"I don't have to share my baby dolls now, wight?" she asked, lifting her head.

Bella smiled, caressing her cheek. "No, so isn't that a bonus?"

"Yeah, I guess so." She nodded before kissing Bella's stomach once more. "Hi, brother. I don't have to share my baby dolls, but I'll let you play with my other toys. I'm a _really_ good sharer. Love you."

"He loves you too, Little One," I said, smiling as I picked her up and put her in my lap. "Now, how about finishing your cupcake?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: Feeling Him**

I missed my wife.

It had been almost a month since the sex ban had begun, and I was left to help myself. Of course I couldn't do it in bed because Bella wasn't getting any, so it didn't seem fair. I was left to my morning shower, and I fucking hated it. I missed her skin against mine, my mouth on her breasts, and being buried balls deep in her.

I just fucking missed _her_.

So, I got creative and used my own damn imagination. It wasn't even close to the real thing, but it did the job. I stroked my dick slowly, trying to envision it was her hand and not mine. The warm water poured down from above me as I braced one hand against the tiled wall. I moved faster and faster, moaning as I grew closer to coming.

"Edward, I think I—"

My head snapped toward the glass door as my eyes locked with my _fucking_ mom's. Oh, shit! That's just painful! Her mouth fell open as I let go of my dick. It was only a second — fucking second before she turned around and ran out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

"Son of a fucking bitch," I hissed, running my hands over my face.

I'd just been caught jacking off by my mother. The last time that had happened I was fourteen and forgot to lock my bedroom door. I really, really, _really_ missed my damn privacy, and now I wouldn't be able to look her in the eye ever again.

So, you know, that was great.

. . . . .

"It's not funny."

Bella covered her mouth, trying to stifle the laughs that wouldn't stop. "I'm sorry."

"You're still laughing."

She threw her head back against the pillow, shaking her head. "I just . . . I can just _imagine_ your face. I'm so sorry, but it's hilarious."

I rolled my eyes and huffed. "I was caught dick in hand, Bella. Dick in hand! Why the hell didn't she knock? Why don't we have damn shower curtain over that door?"

"It's glass! Why would we?" she laughed. "Really, I'm trying to stop but the more you describe it, the funnier it gets."

"I can't have sex and now I can't even jerk off in my own shower."

She laid her hand against my cheek, sitting up to kiss me. "I'm really sorry, all right? I know you're traumatized and laughing doesn't help."

"Not even a little," I said, shaking my head. "I'm not sure I'll ever get her expression out of my mind. Every time I touch my dick now, I'll remember that. I'll have like, flashbacks or some shit."

She barked out a laugh, covering her mouth quickly as I glared at her. "Maybe we should, I don't know, have a night alone? We might have a decent size house, but with the extra person it does get a little crowded sometimes."

Though it'd been almost a month since we'd found out about her condition, Bella's placenta had yet to migrate. She'd had a little more bleeding a few days ago, so Dr. Uley decided to keep her on modified bed rest a little longer — which, of course, meant Mom would continue living with us. Bella couldn't leave the house except for appointments, so I knew it was starting to wear on her.

"I can't ask you to help me if I can't do anything for you," I said, taking her hand. "I'll just . . . let my balls go blue."

She smiled, shaking her head. "I don't mind. Honestly, I might not be able to get any, but that doesn't mean I don't want you to be happy. Maybe we could have a little date night. Order some deliciously greasy pizza, get a movie, and then see what happens. We haven't had a date night in months."

I nodded, thinking up a plan. Bella _had_ been restricted to this house for a while, so she needed some fun. I wasn't stupid enough to not realize that was what she was implying. Well, it wasn't much implying, really. The only time she'd had company was over Thanksgiving, and that was probably more stressful than fun.

Our house wasn't near as big as my parents, so cramming ten other people into it for the holiday left a huge fucking mess. I mean, it was nice to celebrate with everyone and Bella enjoyed having our family here, but it wasn't relaxing. She needed relaxing and nice, not boring or insanely loud.

"How about I think up something and brave my mother to ask if she'd mind taking Sofia to her house for a night?" I asked.

Her face lit up as she grinned. "I'd _really_ like that. I miss being intimate with you. Sex is something we can't do, but just being alone together would be nice."

"Then leave it all to me, all right? I love you."

"I love you too, Edward."

I leaned over, pressing my lips to hers for a long moment. I had a late surgery today, so I decided not to go in first thing. Mom had taken Little One to school and ran some errands, so I took advantage of the extra hour to spend with Bella. I couldn't fucking wait for an entire night.

. . . . .

By the time I got home that night, everyone had already eaten and Little One was getting her bath. Though my first surgery had been late and simple, my day had gotten hectic with multiple car accidents filling the ER. We often passed them off to Olympic Medical Center if the injuries were severe, but they were jammed too, and I'd had the skills to take care of the two critical victims. It was pure luck that the second had come in after I'd finished with the first and not during. Otherwise, the fifty-year-old man that I'd saved might not have been so lucky.

"I need to apologize to you," Mom said as I looked over the pot roast that was waiting for me. "You know, for this morning."

I lifted my head, meeting her eyes because I knew avoiding eye contact would just make it more awkward. But I mean, it was still pretty fucking awkward and this morning's trauma was fresh on my mind. "Yeah . . . that was . . . eventful."

She laughed softly, sliding onto the bar stool across from me. "I should have knocked or better yet, listened for the shower. I'm sorry for barging in on you, but you know, it's not like I haven't seen it before."

"That's a little awkward, Mom," I chuckled nervously. Fuck, this was weird. "Just . . . don't do it again, please. I should have locked the door."

She nodded as I turned to the microwave, laying the plate inside. "It won't happen again. Oh, and set it for three minutes."

I did as she said then leaned against the counter. "Let's never discuss it again either, okay? I actually have a favor to ask you, too."

"Anything, sweetheart."

"Bella and I need some alone time. I think this morning's . . . event made that very clear to us. Would you mind taking Little One back to your house on Friday night? I'll pick her up first thing Saturday and you can even stay home a few days since I'm off. We _really_ appreciate your help, so I swear that I'm not being ungrateful. I just . . . miss being alone with my wife."

"I think that's a great idea." She smiled, nodding. "Your dad's been asking if I'd come home for a few days, so that works out perfectly. We'll keep her Friday night and you can pick her up in the morning. I'll come back once you go back to work. Wednesday, right?"

"Yeah, Bella has another doctor's appointment on Tuesday, so I took a vacation day to extend my long weekend. Really, though, your help has been incredible these last few weeks. I don't always realize how much I work, so having you here to help out with Bella and Sofia saves my ass."

"I love that I'm able to help, Edward. I can only imagine how stressful Bella's condition is on you two, so I'll do whatever I can do ease that burden."

I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest as I dropped my head. "I thought it'd be resolved by now, you know? Or she'd at least be off bed rest. But the fact that she's still bleeding here and there is scaring the hell out of me."

"I know it is, sweetheart."

She stood from her seat, walking around the counter to me. Her arms wrapped around my torso, but it wasn't much comfort. There was so much unknown and I just . . . I needed to _know_. One way or the other, I needed to know what was going to happen with Bella and our son. Would she need a C-section? Would the rest of her pregnancy be filled with worry? Or would this all resolve and just a terrifying memory?

"It will be okay," she said, pulling back from the embrace. "Bella and that little boy will come out of this just fine, and when you hold him in your arms for the first time, you'll forget all about how scary this was. You'll just feel joy."

I smiled softly, nodding. "I hope so. I try not to worry about this in front of Bella because she doesn't need that, but . . . it's nice to get it off my chest. I'm scared, and I'm not used to being scared."

"You're like your father in that way. You both think you know _all_ the answers and can handle anything, but when it's someone you love . . . you don't know how to handle it."

"I don't have a fucking clue," I groaned, running my hand through my hair. "I guess I'll just have to figure it out, though, huh?"

"You will. It'll all be okay."

. . . . .

When Friday afternoon rolled around, I left the hospital a little early so that I could pick Little One up from school. Though she was usually the happiest kid in the whole fucking world to go to her grandparent's house, this time it was the complete opposite. She'd had a temper tantrum of epic proportions when we'd told her last night, so I wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Leaning against my car, I waited as the bell rang and the kids started coming out of the school. Little One staggered behind everyone else, pouting as she walked toward me. The kid knew how to break my fucking heart, let's just say. I was pretty damn close to telling Bella we'd have a date night some other time, but that wouldn't be fair.

"Bad day, baby?" I asked, taking her backpack as she climbed into the backseat. "I thought we could go get a milkshake before heading home. Just me and you."

That perked her up.

"Really?" she asked, _almost_ smiling. "I'm not going with Nana?"

"How about we talk about it over milkshakes?"

She huffed, nodding reluctantly. "Fine. I know you gonna make me go, though."

Clearly, the kid wasn't dumb.

Once I made sure she was buckled in, I got back in the car and drove to the diner in town. Little One's mood hadn't improved much until we sat down in the booth and the waitress brought out our chocolate shakes with whip cream and brownie pieces. _Then_ she actually smiled.

"So, what's up, buttercup?" I asked as she giggled.

"You don't call me buttercup, Daddy. That's silly."

I chuckled softly, nodding. "Maybe a little, but I do what to know why you don't want to go to Nana and Pawpaw's house tonight. It's just one night."

"Mommy's not going. I need to stay with Mommy."

"Why, baby?" My brow creased as I rested my chin on my fist. "Why can't you leave Mommy? I'll be with her, so I promise she won't be alone."

She played with her straw, stirring it around in the chocolate shake as she shrugged. Jesus Christ, it was like pulling teeth.

"I know you have a reason."

"She's sick," she sighed. "I gotta stay with her because she needs me."

"Sofia, Mommy's not _sick_ , like that. You don't really understand what's going on, do you?"

I hadn't exactly explained it to her very well, so I took full responsibility for her thinking this way. Now I understood why she was so reluctant to leave — hell, she threw a tantrum when she had to go back to school after that, too. The last time Bella was gone for a night our lives had had to change. Bella had to stay in bed and from Sofia's point of view, I could understand why she thought Bella was sick. In a way she was, but not how Sofia was thinking.

Little One shrugged, slurping on the milkshake before pushing the straw from her lips. "Mommy and the baby have to stay in bed because if they don't, Mommy will fall asleep like she did at my party. I don't want Mommy to fall asleep like that again, so I wanna stay with her. That was _really_ scary."

I nodded, reaching across the table to grasp her small hand. "I was scared too, you know? Mommy fainted at your party, but not because she's sick. That happened because she was bleeding, and it shocked her to see. She has to stay in bed so she doesn't bleed anymore. This is a little hard to explain, so if you don't get it, tell me, okay?"

"Okay."

"When women are pregnant like Mommy is, their bodies . . . change. Besides the baby in her belly, she also has something called a placenta. That's how the baby gets his oxygen and nutrients — food, basically. It's a _very_ important part of Mommy and the baby. Does that make any sense?"

"Not weally."

Yeah, this was going to be difficult.

"Well, all you need to know is that the placenta is in Mommy and it's the reason the baby is alive and growing. Now, I didn't really want to explain this to you yet, but I think you'll be okay with knowing it. When Mommy has the baby, she pushes it out of her. Anyway, that placenta is supposed to be _far_ away from where the baby comes out when she pushes. Mommy's isn't. Do you understand that?"

"The pacenta is in the way of where the baby comes from?"

"Yes! Here, I'll draw you picture. That'll help better."

I took the menu and flipped it over, grabbing one of the crayons off the table. There was no way in hell I was explaining child birth to her in this diner, but I realized Bella and I would probably need to before our son was born. _That_ was something she could do. We agreed on it once. I drew a circle on the paper and then a little stick figure for our son — incredible piece of art, let's just say.

"Here's your brother," I said, pointing it out to her. I drew another circle on the edge of the big one and told her that was where he'd come out of. I figured calling it a cervix would just raise more questions, so I left that out. "Now, this is the placenta."

I drew it close to the small circle as she nodded. "Where's it a'posed to be?"

"Way up here." I pointed. "The problem with this is that if Mommy is too active, she could bleed more. We don't want that, which is why she's had to stay in bed or on the couch. Now, it _should_ move as the baby and her belly grow, but if it doesn't the baby will have to come out another way."

She cocked her head, biting her lip. "Another hole?"

"Surgery, like Daddy does."

"No!" Her eyes grew wide as she shook her head quickly. "That's _bad._ You do surgewy on sick people. I thought you said she wasn't sick!"

"That's what we're trying to prevent, Little One. I know it's a scary thought, but we're doing everything we can to keep that from happening. Mommy _is_ okay right now. She's not going to faint anymore as long as she keeps doing what she's doing. Hopefully we can stop that soon, though. She goes back to the doctor on Tuesday to see if her placenta has moved. I promise you that _nothing_ will happen to her — no matter what."

"But I wanna stay with her and make sure."

I smiled sadly, caressing her hand. "But that's not fun, baby. Mommy can't do a lot with you right now, and you deserve to have some fun. We have about four more months until the baby comes. We can't spend all of that time worrying about what might happen. Even if Mommy does need surgery, she _will_ be okay. Daddy will make sure of it."

"Pwomise? You'll make her better?"

"Of course, baby. That's what daddies do."

Granted, I wouldn't be the one performing the cesarean if Bella needed it, but I _would_ make sure she was all right. Bella wouldn't be in any danger if it came to that. I may have sucked building and fixing things around the house, but being a surgeon? Taking care of her that way? I was incredible, and not a damn thing would happen to Bella if it came to that.

"Can I come home fiwst thing tomorrow?" she asked.

I nodded. "I'll come get you whenever you're ready, and you can call and make sure Mommy is okay tonight. It's just one night. I promise. Cross my heart, even."

"I guess so," she sighed. "But I don't hafta go away again before the baby comes, got it?"

I chuckled, holding my hand out. "Deal."

. . . . .

After a long goodbye with Bella — which including Little One telling her placenta to move — Mom finally got Sofia into the car. I was kind of amazed that just explaining the whole situating and promising to take care of Bella worked. Little One was smarter than I realized. I should have known that she was just scared to leave her mom, but I hadn't.

I wouldn't put anything past her again, though.

"Now I feel bad about wanting a night alone," Bella said, moving her legs on the couch so I could sit down. "I knew she'd been overly attached to me lately, but I hadn't realized she was so afraid to leave me."

"She's a smart kid," I said, putting her feet in my lap and starting to massage them. Yeah, I gave massages. Husband of the year, obviously. "She knows something's wrong, so she thought leaving would be a bad idea. I guess we think the same way. I _hate_ leaving you to go to work."

"Aww, now I feel bad for both of you. I'm _fine_. I mean, I feel great. I hate sitting around all day and doing nothing when I actually have energy. Maybe my placenta will listen to Sofia."

I laughed, nodding. "She was _very_ demanding. I think I might have scared her about that, though."

"How?"

"I told her about the possibility of a cesarean — surgery. She made me promise to make you better, which I intend to do, by the way."

"You're going to do it?" she asked, raising her brow. "I'm pretty sure that's not allowed."

"No, but I'll be in there and I know what I'm doing, so I'll step in if I have to. I can make sure both of my girls — and soon my boy — are healthy. That's my job." I reached over, caressing her stomach as my left hand continued on her foot. "I can take care of you that way, and I swear I will."

"I've never doubted that. When Sofia's sick, I don't want anyone else but _you_ taking care of her, even when you're scared to death and second guess yourself. I _know_ you'll take care of us that way. As for the house stuff, I wouldn't let you near a hammer for all the money in the world." She laughed.

"I'm never going to live down hanging that picture!"

When we'd moved in here, I'd tried to get some things done around the house that Bella wanted. Well, no one had ever fucking told me that you needed to find a stud put a nail in the wall. My dad explained surgical procedures to me, not decorating. I'd hit the nail with the hammer and put a huge fucking hole in the wall. Bella had laughed for about an hour, and then gotten the putty out to fix it before hanging the damn picture herself.

"Nope." She grinned, laying her hand over mine. "But that's okay. I'll hang the pictures while you save people's lives."

"I'm _very_ good at that, you know." I smirked, but then suddenly felt something _move_ under my hand. My eyes went wide as I looked at her stomach. "He . . ."

"You felt it?" she asked as her mouth fell open. "You felt that, too?"

I nodded feverishly as I laughed. "He fucking kicked me! Bella! He kicked!"

I put my other hand on her stomach, _praying_ for another kick. I'd never felt him move before, though she'd been feeling it for weeks. I couldn't . . . holy shit, I couldn't explain how it made me feel.

"Kick again for Daddy, baby boy," she said as her voice cracked with emotion. "Come on. You've been moving around for me, so do it for him."

"Oh my God," I said in awe, feeling him again. "He's so strong. I can't . . . I can't believe I feel it. Holy shit."

"It feels so weird, doesn't it? It's like . . . a flutter kind of. I didn't think you'd be able to feel it yet."

"Me neither." I looked up at her, grinning from ear to ear. "He's incredible. Bella, our soon is _moving._ I mean, I know I'm stating the obvious, but he's _fucking_ moving!"

"Yep, and he's doing it just for his daddy."

I kissed her stomach over and over before bringing my lips up to hers. I was ecstatic. I was on the best damn high of my life because he'd _moved_. My son had moved for me, and it was the most incredible feeling in the world. Getting a hand job tonight was _almost_ forgotten. I mean, I still wanted it, but right now I couldn't take my hand away from her stomach.

 _This_ was the most important thing in the world to me at the moment.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Feliz Navidad**

"I feel like you're abusing the bed rest thing," I said, ripping off another piece of tape and sticking it to the package of pink and white glittery wrapping paper. "I suck at this shit."

Bella laughed from her seat on the couch, lifting her mug of hot chocolate to her lips. She _was_ abusing the bed rest. Her ass wrapped all of five of Little One's small gifts from her perch above me as I was left to the huge fucking boxes of the doll house and other toys.

With everything that had happened, Christmas shopping was left to the last minute. And done online. The boxes were delivered to Charlie's house over the past week, so I picked them up a few hours ago once Sofia went to bed. It was Christmas Eve, and I didn't know how the fuck we were going to get all of this done.

"I'm making bows," she said, picking one up from her lap. "The fact that I get to do it from the couch and not the floor is not my fault."

I rolled my eyes, holding my hand out for it. "Throw me one. I'm calling this baby done. It's covered, right?"

"Covered, yes. Does it look good? Eh." She laughed, tossing me the bow. I stuck it on the top with another piece of tape and then pushed it under the tree, grabbing yet _another_ doll.

Sofia had basically gotten a doll house, dolls, a shit load of clothes, a couple other toys, and a fucking tablet. Seriously. Apparently it was for kids, but I still thought it was a little ridiculous that my five year had gotten a tablet. I was going to be pissed if it didn't have her doing fucking algebra pretty soon."

That might have been a high expectation, though. I'd seen her use her toes to count a few days before. But I mean, she'd gotten the math right.

"You know that _if_ we get to sleep before she wakes up, it'll only be an hour at most," I said, looking at the clock. It was already past two in the morning, and we'd been doing this since eleven. The kid had a lot of shit because Bella had gone a little too happy with the add-to-cart button. "I think she'll be happy, though. I guess I can live with an hour of sleep if she grins like I imagine."

"You know she will." Bella smiled, tying another bow. "It's her last Christmas as an only child, so I want it to be special. I'm really glad your mom understood and went home earlier. Christmas morning should be . . . you know, _us_."

I nodded. "Yeah, and she gets that. Dad sent me a thank you text once she got home. Pretty sure the old man missed her."

"I feel so badly for disrupting their lives. I know it's not my fault, but she shouldn't give up her time to take care of me. I _really_ hope that Dr. Uley will lift the bed rest when we see her again. I know my placenta hasn't moved, but I can't do _nothing_ for four more months."

"We'll make it work. Look at us now. We managed to get Christmas done while you rested. That's a huge fucking feat."

Unfortunately, Bella's appointment last week had shown no change whatsoever. Her uterus was growing, but the placenta wasn't shifting up. I'd honestly expected the news, but Bella was brokenhearted. Dr. Uley did say she might lift the bed rest if Bella didn't bleed anymore, though. She wouldn't be able to go back to work, but she'd be able to walk around for longer than it took to go to the damn bathroom.

"True," she sighed. "We're going to start planning the nursery next week, so that's something to look forward to, I guess."

"It won't be another pink wonderland." I smirked. "Hell yes for that."

She stopped pouting and let out a quick laugh. Not what I wanted, but that wasn't very funny, either. She was just down right now, and I couldn't blame her. She didn't let it affect her much, though. I knew she was going stir crazy, but she was happy _most_ of the time. I made it my goal to make her laugh as much as possible, though.

. . . . .

Bella and I had managed to finish wrapping just before four in the morning, but we took a little break at one point because our son had been kicking up a storm and I couldn't miss that shit. It was a Christmas miracle that Little One didn't come running into our room until seven-thirty. She was in a panic because she'd slept in longer than she wanted.

We were thrilled, though.

After helping Bella downstairs and getting her settled on the couch, we pulled all the gifts from under the tree — after getting a picture of Sofia with them — and settled in front of the couch. Little One went _ape shit_ on my wrapping job. Clearly, she didn't give a fuck that they weren't expertly wrapped like usual. She loved each gift, even the clothes. Hell, she even tried most of them on in between gifts.

"Oh my god!" she screamed, tearing the wrapping paper off of the dollhouse. "You got it! Yay!"

Bella snapped a picture as we laughed at her excitement. She spent the next ten minutes telling us _all_ about how much she wanted it and how down right fucking incredible it was. Apparently, it was a very special doll house. Why? I had no fucking clue.

"Thank you guys!" she said, throwing her arms around my neck, squeezing the hell out of me. "I love you!"

"I love you too, baby," I chuckled, patting her back. "Mommy's the one who got it, though. I guess Santa couldn't find it, so she pulled some pretty serious strings to get it."

In fact, she out bid someone on eBay and probably crushed another kid's dreams of the dollhouse. That was my girl.

"I take it you're happy?" Bella asked, grinning as Little One climbed up on the couch to hug her.

Sofia nodded. "Yeah! Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, sweet girl. How about we finish, okay? Remember, Gampy and Ms. Sue are coming over and then we're going to Nana and Pawpaw's house this evening."

"Okay! What one next?"

It took a total of two hours to get through unwrapping everything. It'd have been a hell of a lot less time if Sofia didn't play with everything as she unwrapped it, but that was just how she did things. Each toy and doll deserved some attention, I guess. Once she finished, she gave Bella and I our gifts.

I got a new tie and scrub cap and Bella got another willow tree figurine — which had become a staple gift since our first Christmas together. This was the first time Sofia had given her one, though, and unsurprisingly, it made Bella cry. Probably the hormones, but it was a really sweet gift. My idea, by the way.

"Hmm, what's this?" I asked, smirking as I pulled Bella's gift out of the tree. I'd hidden it up high a few days ago, deep in the branches where she wouldn't see it. "I think it's yours."

I sat down beside her, handing the small box to her as she smiled. "Nice hiding spot," she giggled.

"Even I had to reach to get it, so I knew you wouldn't find it."

She unwrapped it slowly, careful to not tear the paper. Her grin was so fucking wide and tears formed in her eyes as she opened the necklace box. It was a circular amethyst pendant with small diamonds around it. This was _all_ my idea, thank you very much.

"Sofia's birthstone," she said, gently pulling it from the box.

"If our boy comes on time, the diamonds represent his birthstone. I totally thought ahead. Nice, right?"

She laughed softly, nodding as she wiped her tears. "It's perfect, Edward. Help me put it on?"

She passed me the necklace and turned away. I laid the pendant on her chest and quickly clasped it as Little One inspected the piece closely. I knew better than to tell her about it because the kid couldn't keep her mouth shut most of the time. Sometimes, but not usually.

"Merry Christmas, Bella," I said, pressing my lips to hers. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too." She smiled. "Merry Christmas."

. . . . .

After opening the new watch Bella bought for me, we spent the morning playing with Little One and her new toys until she was yawning and ready for a nap. She'd been asleep for an hour before our doorbell rang, signaling Charlie and Sue's arrival. Since they'd made plans to have Christmas dinner with her family, we'd had dinner with them last night and planned for a light lunch today to exchange gifts.

It was different than previous years, but . . . things were changing. I didn't realize exactly how _much_ they'd changed until I walked back into the house, carrying the grocery bags from Charlie's car.

Sue had her left hand out, grinning as Bella held it — her eyes boring into the small diamond settled on Sue's finger. "Oh my god," Bella said, jerking her head up to look at Charlie. "You're getting married?"

Charlie stood there, ringing his hands together as he nodded, smiling nervously. "I asked her last night, Bells. I-I was going to tell you first, but . . . I wasn't plannin' on asking her yet."

He was so fucking nervous as Bella's wide eyes focused on him — her expression blank. Either I was about to get to throw Pornstache out of my house or she was about to start sobbing. My money was on sobbing because, well, she cried a hell of a lot lately.

"I just . . ." Bella started, blinking rapidly. "I'm a little in shock."

"I love your father, Bella," Sue said, holding her hand out for Charlie's. "I never thought I could be so happy again, but I am. He's a kind, generous, and loving man. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with him. I know it's sudden and we caught you off guard, but I hope you can be happy for us. I adore you and your family, and I've loved being a part of it these last few months."

Bella's eyes moved between them as I stood still in the corner of the room, watching her closely. I was kind of pissed he shocked her like this, to be honest. She was fucking pregnant — pregnant with complications. The last thing she needed was to be stressed or upset. But at the same time, I knew it wasn't exactly my place to be pissed at him. He deserved to be happy, and he was.

I put a ring on the woman I loved, after all, and I would have done it whether he or anyone else disapproved.

"I'm not upset," Bella said, shaking her head as her lip curled slightly. "I'm surprised, but . . . if this is what you want, who am I to get mad about it? It's a good thing. I'm _really_ shocked, but happy for you both."

Charlie grinned, his pornstache twitching as he took a few steps closer and leaned down, hugging Bella tightly. "I love you, kiddo. Jesus, that was terrifying." He laughed.

"Congratulations," I said, smiling. "Now, uh . . . what do I do with this shit?"

I held up the bags as Sue laughed, quickly taking them from me. "I guess we got a little sidetracked," she said. "I'll go get lunch started."

"If you put a cutting board on the table for me, I'll help you," Bella said, easing herself up off of the couch. I rushed to her, making sure she was balanced before letting her arm go. "Thanks. Pregnant chick taking a tumble wouldn't be a good Christmas memory."

"Fuck no," I laughed, kissing her cheek. "I'm going to grab Sofia. She'll be sad she missed this."

"I'll grab her," Charlie said as I headed for the stairs. "I need to see my pumpkin."

. . . . .

Little One was fucking _thrilled_ with the engagement news. Hell, she'd already secured her spot as flower girl moments after Charlie and Sue told her. Not that there was any competition, of course. Our lunch was just sandwiches with last night's leftover turkey, but it was fucking delicious.

Once we'd finished eating, Sofia was once again spoiled with more presents than she knew what to do with. It was a nice, easy afternoon for Bella. I was a little worried she'd do too much and wind up bleeding again, but she stayed on the couch or in a chair all afternoon, perfectly compliant with her bed rest limitations.

After saying goodbye to Charlie and Sue, we all finally got dressed and headed to my parents for dinner. It was the first time Bella had gotten out of the house aside from doctor appointments, so she was ecstatic about getting in the fucking car. Little One, on the other hand, was somewhat depressed about leaving all of her new toys, but quickly cheered up once we pulled up to my parents' house.

"Make sure she's careful on the steps, Edward!" Mom called out from the doorway as I held Bella's hand. She was perfectly fine, but . . . my entire family was really fucking nervous for her.

"Mewy Christmas, Nana!" Sofia said, running past us toward her. My mom quickly lifted her up, kissing her cheek. "Isn't my dress pwetty?"

"So pretty, sweetheart. Pawpaw's inside with Ben and Felix. Why you don't go get him?"

Little One nodded as she was placed back on her feet, and then took off running inside. Bella was a little slower than normal, but just so that she could be more careful. Once we got inside, I got her settled on the couch and she had to endure watching football with Dad, Emmett, the boys, and me.

"No beer, Em?" I asked, sitting down beside Bella.

Emmett shook his head, sighing. "Nah, I put myself on call this weekend so everyone else could spent it with their families. I didn't get home this morning until six o'clock. Rose let Ben open a video game to distract him."

"I don't miss that about Edward one bit," Bella said. "He's called in _maybe_ twice a month."

"Lucky bastard."

"Daddy!" Ben yelled, mouth opened wide as he played with Sofia. "I get a dollar!"

"I want a dollar!" Little One said.

I laughed my ass off as Emmett grumbled, pulling two bucks from his wallet and passing them to the kids. Little One's money when I cursed went into a jar for college, but Rosalie made Emmett pay Ben directly each time. Ha.

"I hate you, just so you know," he said, glaring at me as I kept laughing. "So, how does that not-getting-called-in thing work anyway? I thought you didn't want to be out of the OR."

I shrugged. "I have scheduled procedures a few days a week and I get an emergency surgery here and there. Besides that, I mostly work in the ER. I don't mind it, really. The hours are good, so I get to be home almost every evening."

"And I heard Dr. James set his retirement for the end of May," Dad said. "Are you ready to take over the chief of surgery position?"

I grinned, nodding. Fuck, I couldn't wait, actually. I'd worked there for almost four years, waiting for that promise to be fulfilled. I'd worked hard and made many improvements to the surgical department, so I _knew_ I deserved it this time. It wouldn't be passed down to me because of my father. "When he and Dr. Valente told me a few days ago, I couldn't believe it was actually happening. I'm _so_ ready."

"I'm proud of you, son," Dad said. "Of both of you, actually. Emmett, you're doing incredible as my replacement and I know you'll do great too, Edward."

"Thanks," I said.

"I'm still pissed at you for lying to me about the amount of paperwork I'd have, but thank you." Emmett smirked.

. . . . .

Mom broke her biggest, most absolute rule in the world and let everyone eat in the living room so that Bella could stay on the couch. We'd set up the little table in here for kids too, but both Little One and Ben were pissed that they didn't get to sit on the couch. It was quiet, relaxing, and nice.

Bella had a great time with everyone, which I knew she'd missed. And thank fucking god, there weren't any heart attacks or bleeding episodes that seemed to follow our family gatherings. It was the perfect way to spend the holiday.

. . . . .

"Um . . . what about this one?" Sofia asked, laying between Bella and me in bed as she pointed to a name in the book.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Tyler. I like Tyler for my bwother's name."

Bella kissed her head, nodding. "We'll write it down, sweet girl."

It was New Year's Eve and we were all lying in our big bed, passing the time until the clock ticked past midnight by looking at baby names. This was the first year we were letting Sofia stay up for that moment, and I was fucking shocked that it looked like she'd make it. We only had another hour, and she was wide awake.

I was pretty sure Bella had sneaked her sugar or some shit.

"So, what's the list up to now, baby girl?" I asked as she wrote down the newest name.

Whether or not we'd actually pick one of these was beyond me, but I'd already made Bella well aware that his name _wouldn't_ be Edward. Never in a million fucking years.

"Hunter, Miles, Aawon—"

" _Aaron_ ," I interrupted her. "I know you can say it if you concentrate."

She huffed, rolling her eyes. "Aa- _run_. Aaron."

"Good girl."

"Anyway, _Aaron_ , Chase, Owen, and Tyler. What's your favowite, Mommy?"

"I like them all, sweetie." Bella smiled. "I don't know, we might have to wait until we meet him to give him a name."

"Who named me?"

"Kate did," I sighed, holding her a little closer. "Sofia is the _perfect_ name for you, so I'm glad she picked that."

She shrugged. "I wish you picked my name."

"Me too."

"I don't like Kate. I wish I grew in Mommy's belly like my brother is."

She really hadn't expressed much anger about this topic, so I was expecting it at some point. Not tonight, though. I was caught off guard as Bella reached over, squeezing my hand over Little One's shoulder.

"It's normal to feel anger, Sofia," Bella said, smiling sadly down at her. "I know learning about her was big shock to you, but it doesn't change _anything_."

"Yeah-huh!" she grunted, crumbling up the name list. "You gonna love him more than me. You get to pick out his name and feel him in your tummy. It's not the same. You didn't feel me."

"That doesn't mean she loves you _any_ less," I said. "Remember? You grew in her heart."

"Not the same." She rolled her eyes. "Why do you hafta have another baby? I don't weally want a brother anymore or even a sister. I don't want a baby 'cause you gonna give it a name and it's gonna be more important than me."

"That is not true, Little One." I held her to my chest tighter, but she shrugged me off, crawling down the bed before I could stop her. "Hey, we're talking."

"No." Tears filled her eyes as her bottom lip jutted out. "Don't have the baby."

"We're having him, sweetheart," Bella said, sitting up. "I _know_ it's confusing for you after what we told you, but it doesn't change anything. I swear. We're having another baby because we have _so_ much love. Daddy and I love you the same amount that we'll love your brother. The fact that he's growing in my belly and you didn't . . . the love isn't any different. I won't love him more than you. I was afraid you'd feel this way."

Little One cried as I moved on the bed, wrapping my arms around her before she could try to get away. She tried like I figured she would, but I held her tightly. Fuck, I didn't know how to handle this shit.

"It's okay, baby girl," I said, kissing her head as she cried. "Are you really angry at us for having another baby? Do you _really_ believe we could ever love you less? Do we not love you enough?"

"I don't know!"

"We love you more than words could ever express," Bella said, reaching out to take her hand. "Things _will_ change, but our love for you won't. _My_ love for you can never change. You're my daughter, whether you grew in my belly or not. You're just scared, aren't you?"

Little One nodded against my chest, nuzzling her head against me. My heart was in fucking pieces, aching for my baby girl. I wished we hadn't told her about Kate yet, but lying would have only made this tantrum worse in a few years.

"It's okay to be scared when things change," Bella continued. "I'm scared, you know? I'm _so_ excited for your brother to come, but it's a big change. I know it'll be a great change, though. You will love him so much, and Daddy and I will love both of you the same amount — an amount I could never put into words."

"You wouldn't love me more if I grewed in your tummy?"

She shook her head, smiling. "That's _impossible_. Do I wish you had? Of course, but we can't change the past. We wouldn't have _you_ — in all of your perfectness — if things were different, and I wouldn't change you for anything in the world."

Little One wiggled out of my arms and crawled over to Bella, embracing her tightly. "I want you to always love me, Mommy."

"I swear to you that I will."

"Have you been worried about that for a while, baby girl?" I asked.

"Kinda." She shrugged. "I know I'm special, but I'm not special like the baby."

"You're both different and special in your own ways. It doesn't make either of you _more_ special than the other. As you get older, you'll understand a little better, and I know that once you meet your brother, you'll love him."

"I do love him. I just . . . I don't know. I'm scawed."

Bella kissed her temple, nodding. "And we're both right here to talk to about your fears. Never hide it from us, okay? Do you feel a little better?"

"I guess so. Can I come with and see him next time you go to the doctor?"

Bella's eyes met mine as she shrugged. "I think that would be a good idea."

"I do, too," I said. "I think you'll really like that, actually. He's pretty cool looking."

Little One smiled. "Will he see me, like when we talk on the camera with people?"

"No, technology isn't _that_ advanced yet," I chuckled. "But when he's born, you can tell him that you got to see him on a monitor in Mommy, okay?"

"That's kinda cool."

Once we got her settled down, we put the baby name book away and turned on some cartoons until about ten minutes 'til midnight. I grabbed the apple juice and wine glasses from downstairs, pouring a little for each of us as we sat on the bed, counting down the clock. Once the ball dropped, I kissed Bella and then gave Sofia a raspberry on her cheek, making her giggle.

"Happy New Year!" she yelled, clanking her glass of apple juice to ours before chugging it.

"Happy New Year, baby girl." I smiled. "This is going to be an _incredible_ year, isn't it?"

"Yep! And next year I'm gonna stay up again because this is _awesome_!"

Bella and I laughed softly, sharing another kiss. This year would bring our son and our family would be complete. Little One would adjust with time, and I had no doubt that she'd love her brother once she met him. As long as she didn't _actually_ try to trade him for another kid at the hospital, we should be good.

I could see her trying that, though.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: Fred, Frank, and Frannie**

"Edward . . . Edward . . . Edward."

I groaned, turning on my side to face a wide awake Bella. She couldn't sleep worth shit right now, so apparently I wasn't allowed to either. "Yes?"

"He has the hiccups." She smiled, grabbing my hand and putting it over her stomach. "It's so weird!"

I couldn't really feel the distinct movement, but he did give a little kick as my hand rested over her stomach. Okay, this was kind of worth not sleeping for. Fuck, Bella's giggle alone was worth it.

"What does it feel like?" I asked, tilting my head to kiss her lips.

"It kind of tickles. He's low, so it's like, in my pelvis. It's so weird. I can't really describe it. I just . . . love it."

"Is your back hurting still?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but it's not as bad when I'm on my side. I just can't get comfortable enough to sleep. Sorry I keep waking you."

"Eh, I'll live." I shrugged. "But you feel okay?"

"Yes, Edward."

"Just making sure," I chuckled, wrapping my arm around her.

She dropped her head onto my chest, sighing softly as I caressed her lower back. She was now in her twenty-seventh week, and her body ached in more places than I wanted to think about. Dr. Uley had taken her off bed rest, but she still couldn't work because the placenta hadn't shifted in the slightest. It fucking sucked that we'd most likely have to deal with this her entire pregnancy. We'd even started discussing the fact that she'd need a c-section.

Bella and I were both terrified, but we relied on each other to cope. We'd handle whatever came our way together, but it didn't make up for the fact that what should've been the most joyous time of our lives was, in fact, scary as hell. Every single day when I was at work I worried if that would be the day I got the call — that she was bleeding again, and even worse than before. It was a possibility, unfortunately.

Mom had moved back home once the bed rest was lifted, but she came over a few times a week to keep Bella company and help with planning the nursery. Honestly, I kind of wished my mom was still here — fucking insane, I know. But, she kept Bella from doing too much and I had a little peace of mind that my wife was taken care of at all times.

I missed it.

I did like having my privacy back, though. Bella gave me a blow job after Sofia went to bed tonight, and it was nice not fearing if my damn mother would walk in on it.

"I think I _might_ be able to sleep if we stay like this," Bella said, looking up at me and smiling softly. "Are you really uncomfortable?"

I shook my head, running my hand through her hair. Actually, she had her arms and legs wrapped around me like I was a pole and it wasn't comfortable in the slightest. Lying worked, though, as long as she was comfortable. "I'm fine, Nibbles. Just close your eyes. We'll stay like this."

"I love you." She lifted up, pressing her lips to mine. "Goodnight."

"Night. I love you, too."

. . . . .

"Did you read _allllll_ these books, Daddy?" Little One asked, staring at my bookshelf in my office with wide eyes. "There's gotta be, like . . . a million!"

I chuckled, closing a chart and switching it with another. "I make use of all of them. A lot of them have pictures. Do you want me to grab one for you?"

Yeah, they were pictures of the human anatomy, but still. I liked my dad's medical texts when I was younger, so maybe she would too. I'd brought Little One to work with me today since the school had some teacher thing and she was off. Dad, Mom, and Bella had driven up to Seattle early this morning to pick out some things for the baby, and Sofia didn't want to go. It was a ridiculously long drive, so I didn't blame her. Hell, I kind of didn't want Bella to go, but she wouldn't exactly let me tell her no. Besides, Dad had gone along, so at least she had a doctor with her.

That fact gave me _some_ comfort.

"Here's one about the heart," I said, pulling one off of the shelf for her. It had a few diagrams, so I figured it'd work until we could get out of here.

"'Kay," she said, taking it from me and going to sit patiently on my couch.

Little One was usually a great kid, but she was even better when I brought her to work with me. I guessed it was being around strangers or some shit. A few of the nurses had stolen her this morning while I did my rounds, and I found her with a shitload of stickers and an apple sauce cup because she was just so fucking good, according to them.

"I just have a few more charts to work on before we leave, okay?" I asked.

"Uh-huh. This is _so_ cool, Daddy!"

I laughed, nodding. "I think so, too. Thank you for being such a good girl."

She looked up at me, grinning widely before her eyes went straight back to the book. I tried to hurry through my charts, but as I was nearing the end of the stack, my pager went off. Groaning, I pulled if from my hip and realized I couldn't pass it off to anyone.

 _Fuck._

"Baby, Daddy's got to work," I sighed, standing from my seat and grabbing my lap coat. "Let's go see if someone can keep you occupied, okay?"

I should have just fucking left after rounding this morning, but the next surgeon wouldn't be available until after noon. Of course it was only eleven now — some fucking luck. Sofia didn't seem to be upset, but then again, she thought I had the best fucking job in the world. I was, after all, the coolest dad ever to her.

Once we got down to the ER, I was about to grab someone when I spotted Charlie standing at the desk as he filled out paperwork. Before I could say a damn word, Little One ran to him, latching herself onto his leg.

"Pumpkin," he chuckled, picking her up. "What are you doing here?"

"Watchin' Daddy work." She smiled proudly. "I got to look at pictures of a heart _inside_ someone."

I probably should've checked that book a little better. Oops.

"Well, if that's not the coolest thing I've ever heard, I don't know what is. Good to see you, Edward." He nodded.

"You too, Charlie," I said. "Hey, are you really busy?"

"That car accident victim yours?"

"She will be soon. Of course the one day I bring her with me, I probably have an emergency surgery and Bella's up in Seattle with my parents."

"Well, I can keep the pumpkin head occupied for a while, if you need."

I smiled, nodding. "That'd be a huge help. Hopefully I won't be long."

"It's no problem, son. How about we go spoil your lunch with ice cream, Sofia?"

She giggled, nodding frantically "Yes! I'll see you later, Daddy. Love you."

"I love you too, Little One. Be good for Gampy." I kissed her cheek, tickling her side softly.

"I will. Bye."

. . . . .

Thankfully, the car accident victim's injuries weren't _too_ severe. The woman had a splenic laceration that needed to be repaired, but it didn't take me too long. I was in and out in a little over an hour, and then found Little One and Charlie in the cafeteria. Not at all surprisingly, she'd taken his phone hostage and was playing a game while he worked on his laptop. He pecked at the keys slowly, and I couldn't help but laugh my ass off at his concentration.

"All done, baby girl," I said, pulling out the seat next to her. I leaned down, kissing her cheek as she apparently won whatever game she was playing.

"I won, Daddy! Look!" she squealed. "Gampy let me download a matching game. Will you download it for me, too?"

"Sure thing, Little One," I chuckled. "Now, has your lunch been completely spoiled?"

She grinned. "I got ice cream, but I'm still hungwy. We gonna have lunch?"

"Yeah, we can do that. Do you want to come, Charlie?"

"If it gets me away from this fu- _freaking_ thing, hell yes," he said, slamming the laptop closed. "Damn thing doesn't even work."

"You almost said the _F word_ ," Little One said, eying him closely. "Daddy hasta put a dollar in my college fund when he does that."

"What, do you have enough to go to Harvard yet?" he laughed. "I caught myself, munchkin. Maybe next time."

"Damn and hell are kinda bad words, too. Shit's worse, though. Daddy says that _a lot_."

I cocked my head as I narrowed my eyes at her. "Um, excuse you?"

"Oops." She put her hand over her mouth, giggling.

Pornstache smirked at me, shaking his head. Yeah, that was my fault, but she knew better than to say those words — even if someone else did. He didn't say shit, though. Clearly, the control I had over my mouth wasn't as great as I thought.

At least Bella didn't witness that.

"You're not allowed to say those words, Little One," I said, giving her the sternest look I could muster up. I was fucking awful at that, though — even more so when her bottom lip jutted out and she gave me _those_ eyes. "What do you say?"

"I'm sorry, Daddy. I won't do it again. Pwomise."

I sighed, but nodded. "Okay, but if you do it again you're losing something, got it?"

"I won't. Can we get lunch now with Gampy?"

"Yeah, let me go change first. Will you both meet me outside, Charlie? We can take my car, if you want."

He nodded. "Sounds good to me. Let's go, pumpkin head."

He stood up, holding his hand out for hers. She was quick to take it, walking with him as I headed back upstairs to change into my street clothes. I let a nurse know to call me if my patient had any complications, and then headed outside to my car.

We went to the diner in town, having a pretty decent lunch as Little One filled me in about what she and Charlie had done while I was in surgery, and then she started on about her birthday that was only five days away.

My kid was about to turn six, and I couldn't fucking believe it. I felt like it was just yesterday when I watched her shove cake into her mouth on her first birthday, but it wasn't. The years had gone by too quickly, and soon I'd face this problem with another kid.

 _Fuck,_ this was insane. And that wasn't even mentioning the fact that I was closer to forty than thirty now.

"So, did Bella finally decide on stuff for the baby's nursery?" Charlie asked, lifting a french fry from the large plate between us.

Little One was busy, stirring one of her own into the chocolate milkshake in front of her. Bella had taught her that disgusting habit.

"I guess she decided between two different themes, but actually wanted to see the designs before buying," I said. "She didn't get to do this with Sofia, so she's taking her sweet time making decisions. Honestly, I don't really understand it."

"Me neither," he said, shaking his head. "But I mean, at least she's getting her mind off of things. She's . . . okay, right? I haven't gotten updates recently."

I shrugged. "Right now she is, but I truthfully don't know what the next few months will be like. I wouldn't be surprised if she has to go back on bed rest as she gets further along."

He grimaced, sighing softly. "That's a shame. She's so excited about this, but now it's like we're waiting for something bad to happen."

"Nothing bad is gonna happen," Little One said, sounding completely sure. "If Mommy needs surgewy, Daddy's gonna make her all better. I keep telling her pacenta to move, but it doesn't listen."

"Well, that's just not right." He smiled sadly, ruffling up her hair. "It needs to listen to you, sweetheart."

"Duh." She rolled her eyes, making us both laugh softly. "Can I get anoder coloring paper?"

I nodded. "I'll ask, baby girl."

Once she was thoroughly distracted by the new placemat, Charlie and I talked a little more about Bella's condition before he had to get back to the station. I dropped him off at his cruiser at the hospital, and then Sofia and I headed home.

I called Bella as we drove, putting her on speaker through the car as she told Little One and me what she'd bought. Apparently, there was even a little surprise for Sofia, too. Of course that made our kid giddy as hell.

"We're getting on the road after one more store, so I should be home by seven or eight," Bella said.

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I am. A little tired, but I'm good. Your dad didn't let me walk around too much, and he made me sit down a lot. He's basically an older, maybe a little better looking version of you," she laughed.

"That cuts deep, Nibbles. So deep."

"He says it's true. Are you about home?"

I turned the corner, nodding to myself. "I'm pulling onto our street now. Call me once you get on the road, okay?"

"I will. Love you guys."

"Love you too, Mommy!" Little One yelled from the backseat.

"I love you, too. Bye," I said, ending the call.

It was _just_ beginning to snow again as I pulled into the garage, which of course meant Little One wanted to play in it. After bundling her up in her snowsuit and boots, we headed to the backyard so she could have her fun.

"Can we build a snowman, Daddy?" she asked, bending down to pick up the snow on the ground.

We'd gotten a few inches yesterday and it looked like we'd probably get a few more by morning — nothing too heavy, though, according to the forecast. Little One flipped her hand over, letting the snow fall out slowly as I nodded.

"It might be a baby snowman," I said, kneeling down and starting the ball. "Maybe tomorrow we'll be able to make a bigger one, okay?"

"Okay! I'll go get a _baby_ carrot then and some waisins for his eyes and mouth!"

She was quick to run into the house before I could say a word, and I was left chuckling as I started the snowman for her. Once she got back, she made the little ball for its head and then we started on the middle together. Our final product was about two feet high and the baby carrot for his nose was too -small, making him look fucking ridiculous.

"Whata we gonna call him?" Little One asked as I carefully carried him from the yard to place him on the deck.

"How about you decide?"

She sat down in one of the snow covered chairs as I started shoveling off the freshly fallen snow from the deck. Each time I looked up, she seemed so deep in thought, looking intently at our snowman. Fuck, she was just adorable.

"Hmm, what about Fred?" she asked. "And then tomorrow when we make his daddy he can be Fwank and I don't know what the mommy will be yet."

I chuckled, nodding. "I like those names, baby girl. Fred, Frank, and we don't know yet."

"Maybe another f word name. What's a girl name with an f?"

I leaned the shovel against the house, going to sit down beside her. "Faith? Frannie? Florence? I'd have to think harder for more."

"I like Frannie." She nodded, patting Fred's head. "We'll make your mommy and daddy tomowhoa, Fred. We need _big_ carrots for them, though."

"We'll get big ones," I chuckled, wrapping my arms around her and lifting her into my lap. "Now, let's go get warmed up and find a movie, okay?"

"Can we watch Hewcules? I haven't watched that since Mommy was in bed. That was like, _forever_ ago."

"It was, wasn't it? _Forever ago_!" I laughed, blowing a raspberry on her cheek as I stood with her in my arms.

. . . . .

I hated to admit it, but I _did_ like Hercules. I mean, at least it wasn't about another fucking princess. Plus, Little One hadn't watched it a million times like some other movies, so no thoughts of how to kill myself popped into my head. She snuggled up to me on the couch, laying her head on a pillow in my lap as the movie played.

It was these moments that I loved most about being a father — having my little girl close and just spending time with her. Honestly, I didn't give a shit that the only movies I'd watched recently were cartoons or the fact that I hadn't gone out with Jasper and Emmett in months. I didn't miss it, like I thought I would all those years ago.

I loved that Sofia depended on me for so much and she looked at me as if I'd hung the damn moon. I loved knowing that one day, she'd look back on days like this and smile, remembering that I did whatever she wanted. I may have told her I loved her every day, but showing it meant more than those words ever could.

I would _always_ show her that she was my entire world — as were Bella and her soon-to-be little brother. And not a damn thing would ever change that.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: Fluffy Surprise**

 **Bella**

Whenever I'd imagine having a child it was perfect. My back might ache and my feet would swell, but everything would be so incredible that those things wouldn't matter. I never dreamed that being pregnant would be the scariest time of my life.

No one really warns you about the fears — both rational and irrational. No one tells you that you'll worry your baby will have two heads, even though you know for sure he doesn't. I never knew I'd get night terrors, imagining I woke up no longer pregnant or that the baby was coming _right then,_ in the middle of a crowded room.

And no one tells that though you have _zero_ indicators, you'll wind up spending what could have been the best moments on bed rest, worrying you'll suddenly start bleeding and lose your little boy that you already love more than words could ever express. Sure, the chance is there, but you don't take it seriously when you're basically told there are no reasons to.

Even with all of these fears and the reality that something bad could easily happen, I still loved being pregnant. It wasn't perfect and many days quite literally sucked, but . . . to me, it was everything I hoped for. It was a dream come true, feeling my son grow inside of me and watching the love of my life dote like I never imagined he could.

"It's _moving_!" Sofia giggled, watching in awe as my little boy moved my rounded belly as he kicked. "Does he feel this?"

She poked my stomach as Edward laughed beside us, looking away from his magazine. "He says it tickles . . . like this."

He lunged at her, tickling her sides as she squealed in delight. She was sprawled out on the end of the bed, trying her not-so hardest to make him stop. She _loved_ it. Every 'stop' was really a 'keep going' and every giggle was music to my ears as I watched them play, careful that she wasn't too close to the edge.

Last time she was, her arm was in a cast for eight weeks and Edward had a few new gray hairs.

"Sofia, pull his hair!" I grinned mischievously.

Edward looked back at me with the most betrayed expression on his face — which gave her the chance to take action. She grabbed hold at the nape of his neck, and he fell flat on his stomach, pleading for mercy as she climbed on his back.

"You're going to pay for that," he said, rubbing his neck as she let him sit up. "I _was_ goingto let her win."

I shrugged, rubbing my stomach. "It's my go-to move, so I figured it was time to pass my knowledge along."

He crawled back up the bed, huffing as he settled into his spot beside me. "You won't be pregnant forever. Just saying."

I looked down at Sofia as she fixed her shirt, oblivious to us. "I'm horny and I can't have any, so don't tease me," I whispered.

But really, the whole no sex or even an orgasm thing was the _worst_ thing ever right about now. The thought of him tickling me or pulling my hair made me bite my lip because _damn it_ , I missed it and wanted it. I wanted my husband to touch me, making my skin tingle in anticipation. I was off bed rest, but Dr. Uley was very — and quite harshly — specific that the ban was still firmly in place until the end of my pregnancy, seeing as how my placenta hadn't budged in the slightest. Sure, it still had time, but my hopes weren't up.

The narrowing of her eyes were directed at Edward, but I felt the pain too.

"I'm sorry, Nibbles," he said sincerely, wrapping his arm around me. "Just twelve more weeks, though."

I groaned, shaking my head. "That doesn't help."

"Can I have a present yet?" Sofia asked, crawling back up between us, pushing Edward away from me. "Just one, please?"

"It's only ten, birthday girl. Your party isn't until noon."

"But Mommy, she _really_ wants one," Edward said, trying to replicate Sofia's puppy dog eyes. "We could, you know . . . give her that one thing."

He winked before flipping her over on his lap. "You get _six_ spankings, Little One."

"No! This isn't a pwesent!"

"You did them last year," I laughed. "It's my turn."

"Mommy!" she squealed as I gave her bottom the lightest of pats, and another and another and so on until I hit six.

"And a pinch to grow an inch, like Gampy used to give me," I said, gently pinching her arm.

"I see that worked out well." Edward smirked.

"Jackass," I mouthed silently as he laughed. "Now, why don't we go figure out which dress you want to wear, huh, birthday girl?"

Sofia sat up, smiling as she nodded. "Okay!"

She hurried and slid off of the bed, running out of the room before I could even get a leg over the side of the bed. Edward was quick to come around to my side, holding his hands out for me. I felt like a ball with sticks for arms and legs — giant and uncomfortable, but otherwise happy.

"Your mom and Rose should be here soon with the you-know-what and to decorate, so will you go get the decorations out of your trunk?" I asked.

"The you-know-what goes in our bathroom, right? It's not going to piss everywhere, is it?"

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "It's a kitten, so yeah, it might pee on the floor, but your mom's bringing the litter box. Deal with it and I'll keep her occupied."

"We had to get her a fucking kitten, huh?"

"Yep! You said no to a dog."

. . . . .

Sofia didn't even hear Esme and Rose arrive, but I saw the car pull into the driveway through the window. My birthday girl was _much_ too preoccupied with having no idea which dress to pick. I'd gone a little overboard with online shopping since being mostly stuck in the house, so she had plenty to choose from. Finally, after trying each of them on and contemplating, she picked one.

It was pink and white — the white top separated by a satin bow. It flowed beautifully as she twirled around in the mirror, making sure she still liked it.

"So, I _think_ you have a pink headband that matches this if you want to wear your hair down," I said, sitting on her bed as she walked back over to me, nodding.

"Uh-huh, will you make my hair the pretty curly way?"

I smiled. "Sure, sweet girl. So, are you excited to be _six_? I can't believe it! My baby's almost all grown up."

I pretended to sniffle as she looked back at me, rolling her eyes at my dramatics. "It's not that old, Mommy."

"I still can't believe it," I said, pulling her against me and peppering her cheek with kisses. "This will be six years since I found what I never knew I was missing . . . you and Daddy. And that's all thanks to your cuteness as a baby, you know."

She giggled. "Daddy told me that. I'm kinda awesome."

" _Very_ ," I said. "Now, I think you have a few party guests downstairs if you want to say hi to them before getting cleaned up."

Her face lite up and then she was gone, running out of the room as fast as her little legs could take her. I was quite far behind, but just in time to see her tumble down the last few steps.

"Edward!" I yelled, moving as quickly as my body would let me as my heart hammered in my chest.

There were no screams or cries as she lay on the wood floor, blinking rapidly as Edward reached her. He fell to his knees by her side with his panicked expression mirroring mine.

"Oh my God, is she okay?" I asked, wide-eyed and fearful as I carefully stepped off of the stairs.

"Whoa," Sofia said as Edward held her head still. "Owie." She lifted her elbow, revealing an already bloody gash from the edge of the wooden steps.

Edward quickly laid her arm across her chest and said, "Don't move, Little One. Bella, did she lose consciousness?"

Rosalie and Esme had rushed into the room, the three of us forming a circle around Sofia and Edward. I shook my head, remembering her eyes opening right away. The tears that hadn't formed were now flowing freely from her eyes.

"No, she didn't," I said. "She fell a few steps from the bottom and tumbled down. What do we do?"

I watched closely as he ran his long fingers along her scalp, staring intently at her face for any signs of more pain. His fingers moved to the back of her neck as he continued to stay silent until he asked, "Anything numb or tingly, baby?"

Sofia shook her head as her bottom lip trembled. "There's blood on my dwess."

A soft laugh of relief escaped Esme as she shook her head. "We'll find you another pretty dress, sweetheart."

"Let's take a look at this," Edward said, lifting her arm to examine the gash. "How about we go clean this up and see if it needs stitches, okay? I'm going to sit you up."

His face was still etched with worry as he helped her sit and then scooped her up into his arms. I followed him upstairs to her bathroom, coming in as he gently placed her on the counter. His hands ghosted along each of her legs, continuing to check for more injuries. If a gash and a few stitches was all that came from this, she was incredibly lucky. Her fall looked so . . . _terrifying._ I was sure my heart had leapt from my chest.

"What do you need?" I asked, leaning in to kiss Sofia's cheek.

"I'm going to grab my bag," he said. "Just . . . watch her closely, please?"

I nodded, wrapping my arm around her as she looked at the gash over her elbow. "Of course. It's going to be okay, sweetie. Daddy's going to fix you right up."

I had a feeling a trip to the ER was in order, but I secretly hoped Edward would just care for her here. If her birthday was ruined over this, she'd be _heartbroken_. Knowing her, she'd be most upset over losing precious time with her new kitten.

"All right, let's take a look at you," Edward said, coming back into the small bathroom with his emergency bag. He laid it beside Sofia, opening it up and pulling out a pair of gloves and some gauze. "I'm so sorry, baby, but this might hurt."

I took her good hand, squeezing it lightly and smiling sympathetically. "Squeeze me as hard as you need to," I said.

The moment Edward was close with the gauze, her eyes shut tightly and my hand was squeezed. A few tears slipped on to her cheeks as he soaked up the blood, but she stayed bravely silent, handling the pain like a pro.

Edward, on the other hand, looked to be in immense pain.

"Yeah, she'll need a few stitches," he sighed, dropping another bloody piece of gauze into the sink. "How much do you trust Daddy, Little One?"

"You'll do them?" I asked incredulously. He'd always second guessed himself when it came to caring for her — always needing a second opinion, though he'd never been wrong.

He shrugged. "If it were worse I wouldn't, but she'll only need about five or six."

"Okay," Sofia said. "No hopistal, yeah?"

"No hospital." He smiled sadly. "I'm going to call Pawpaw first, though."

I reached out, taking his hand lightly. "Thank you."

"I need Dad to pick up a suture kit from the hospital and call in some antibiotics. Are you okay?"

"Yes." I nodded. "Only just about had a heart attack."

"I think I feel new gray hairs coming in," he chuckled, looking at his head in the mirror before kissing my lips softly. "I'll be right back."

As we waited for him to talk to Carlisle, I kept Sofia distracted by asking which dress she'd like to wear now. The conversation went on and on as she debated her second choices — the pain from her elbow all but forgotten. Once Edward returned, he bandaged her arm and said Carlisle would be here in about a half hour — he was already on his way from Port Angeles.

"Do you think we can wash her hair while we wait?" I asked, combing my hand through her strawberry locks. I just _knew_ she'd still want her curls done. "Your mom or Rose can help me, I'm sure."

"I'd love to help," Rosalie said, standing in the doorway of the bathroom. "Mom's starting the pizzas, but I'm sure she can handle them. Or you could help her, Edward."

"Keep her arm dry, all right?" he asked.

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah, of course. We won't be long."

With a sigh, he gave us permission and then left the bathroom. Once Sofia was out of the bloody dress, we washed her hair out in the sink — Rose doing most of the work because my stomach made bending a little difficult.

"God, I love my boys, but there's something enjoyable about doing a little girl's hair," Rose said. "Especially such pretty hair like yours, Sofia."

Sofia grinned, opening her eyes as I poured a little more water down her head. "Mommy said she'll make it all pwetty and curly. Can you do that, too?"

"I think I'm pretty good at managing a curling iron." Rose winked. "We're all free of the shampoo now, so let's sit you up."

It took us the entire half hour — and maybe a few minutes more — to blow dry and put a few curls in Sofia's hair. She was quite impressed with the end result, all smiles and giggles as she pulled a curl down and watched it form once more. I figured there could be more blood, so we dressed her in a shirt and shorts and then headed downstairs with her.

I knew the dining room had already been decked out in the pink streamers, so we went straight into the kitchen, finding Carlisle, Esme, and Edward waiting for us.

"Oh my!" Esme said, grinning as leaned against the counter. "Aren't you such a beautiful birthday girl!"

"So very pretty," Carlisle said. "Happy birthday, sweetpea. What have you done to yourself now, hmm?"

"I fell down the stairs," she said, showing off her bandaged elbow. "But I'm okay. It only hurts a little now. My wrist hurt _a lot_ worse."

My heart ached at the thought of her broken wrist earlier this year, and I was _so_ thankful this injury didn't compare to that one. It had long since healed, but I was pretty sure that phone call from Edward would always be etched in my mind.

"Well, I guess there's a little bright side," Edward said, lifting her up, placing her on the island counter where he had everything already laid out. "Let's hurry and get this taken care of before everyone else gets here, okay? Daddy will try to be as gentle as possible."

I could only imagine the f-words flying through his mind because of this, but he seemed to be fairly calm on the outside. Pulling a stool over, I took a seat beside her and took her small hand again as Edward peeled the blood soaked bandage from the gash. Carlisle was right beside him, giving his opinion which agreed with Edward's.

Sofia seemed completely unbothered by the situation . . . until the syringe came out. She was utterly terrified, and it took _all_ of us to calm her down long enough for Edward to injected the numbing medication.

"See, baby girl?" he asked. "It barely hurt, right? I told you that magic cream would make it better."

She sniffled, nodding slowly. "It still huwt, though."

"Well, I'm very sorry." He kissed her forehead and then her cheek, blowing a raspberry on it to make her smile slightly. "You won't feel a thing in no time, all right?"

"Pwomise?"

He feigned offense, gasping in shock. "When have I ever lied to you?"

"That cream wasn't magic," she stated matter-of-factly.

I had to stifle a laugh as he sighed, shaking his head. "But Daddy believes it's magic, sweet girl," I said. "Let's not dash that belief, okay?"

"Uh-huh, _sure_."

"It's magic," he mumbled, making her giggle.

. . . . .

After six stitches, Edward had finished his work and Sofia was almost as good as new. He wrapped her elbow up and then kissed it to make it all better — her request, of course. Since it wouldn't be long before Emmett, the boys, Dad, and Sue arrived, I took Sofia back upstairs to pick another dress.

This once was coral-colored with white polka dots and a little bow below her chest, separating the flowing bottom — which she made sure to test out with a few spins. After adding headband to her outfit, she was satisfied and looked incredibly adorable.

This was one thing I _would_ miss about having a little girl. I loved that we were having a son, but . . . there would be no dressing him up in pretty dresses, doing his hair, or letting him try on my lipstick. I'd always have this with Sofia, though — at least for a little while longer.

"Now, let's go eat some of Nana's homemade pizza," I said, kissing her cheek. "I heard a rumor about extra cheese and pepperoni."

"Yay! The baby likes extra pepperoni."

"Yes, he does," I laughed softly, already salivating at the thought.

I liked being able to blame loving greasy stuff on the baby — another bonus of being pregnant. He rewarded me with horrible heartburn, but it was worth it.

So damn worth it.

. . . . .

Lunch went off without a hitch thanks to Esme's preparation. She'd made the dough at home, and then brought everything over to cook the four pizzas. Between our entire family, it was just enough — Emmett and Ben devouring a whole one by themselves. The boy _clearly_ had his father's appetite. This had been Sofia's special request, so of course Esme had no issues with fulfilling it.

"Can I still bowl tomorrow?" Sofia asked as we all gathered in the living room for gifts.

Today was our family birthday for her, but we rented out a few lanes at the bowling alley tomorrow for all of her friends. Actually, it was for both kindergarten classes. It didn't seem right to exclude any of the kids, so . . . yeah, we'd be dealing with over twenty of them tomorrow. I loved kids, but I was already exhausted just thinking about it. Lucky, quite a few parents volunteered to stay and help us.

"Yes, but you'll have to be careful with that arm," Edward said. "If you're not up to it, we can put it off."

He knew full well she wouldn't agree to that, but he tried it anyway. If he could've gotten out of it, he would have. I smirked as she shook her head, telling him she _needed_ to go.

"Did you think she'd change her mind?" I asked as he sat down beside me.

"A man can hope, right?"

"Dream on," I teased. "Now, help her with her presents, please? She doesn't know which to open first."

The pile of gifts on the floor was like heaven to her, of course. Her kitten, though, would send her to cloud nine, and I couldn't wait until we brought it down. Opening each gift took a while because she made sure to hug whoever it was from each time she opened one. There was quite a lot of hugging. She'd gotten clothes from Emmett and Rose — clearly Rose was the shopper — a few dolls from Carlisle and Esme, games and toys from my Dad and Sue, and more clothes and a few video games for her Wii from us. I made a mental note to clear out her toy box soon, knowing she wouldn't have room for everything.

"Thank you guys!" she said, grinning as she looked over her pile. "I love you."

"We love you too, sweetheart," Esme said as everyone joined in.

"Wait . . . what do I hear?" I asked, titling my head as a smile played on my lips. "Edward, do you hear that?"

"It's like . . . a scratching sound, right?" he asked.

"Should I check it out?" Emmett asked, playing along like we'd asked.

Sofia's eyes widened. "I don't hear anything."

"I hear it, too," Carlisle said. "You might want to, Emmett."

"Let me do it," Dad said. "You know, just in case."

Dad rose from his seat, looking so incredibly serious as we all tried to hide our smiles. He headed up the stairs, acting cautious and tip-toeing. Sofia hurried from her spot on the floor to sit beside me on the couch, looking almost fearful.

I _kind of_ felt bad.

"I don't know what it is, but it seems to be meowing," Dad laughed, holding out the calico kitten as he walked back down the stairs. "You want to tell us what this is, pumpkin head?"

Sofia's scream pierced our ears as she jumped off of the couch. "Oh my _gosh_! Oh my gosh! Oh. My. Gosh!" She quickly took it from my dad's hand, holding it to her chest as a pitiful meow came from it.

"What is it, Little One?" Edward asked, smirking.

"You got me a kitten!" She grinned. "It's so cute! It's got a bow!"

"A _pink_ bow," I laughed. "I guess it must be a girl, huh?"

"You got me a girl kitten!"

She fell onto the floor, laying it in her lap as she softly stroked its terrified head. The poor cat had no idea what was going on, but seemed to sit patiently in her lap as Sofia petted behind her ear. Ben was quick to join them, giving the kitten some love, too.

"It's all mine?"

I nodded. "She's all yours, sweetie. Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday, baby girl," Edward said, sitting down beside her. "What do you think of her?"

Sofia giggled as grinned. "She's so pretty! And soft! And cute! And I love her! And thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome," I said, lifting my round self slowly off of the couch to walk around the coffee table to her.

I eased down on the floor, knowing full well I'd need a hell of a lot of help to get up. I didn't care, though. Sofia was happy and, well, I kind of wanted a kitten, too. We'd gone a few days ago to pick one out from a friend of Alice whose cat recently had them, and I fell in love with this calico cutie. She had a white belly and paws, and a black, orange, and brown body. Her face was black, but had an orange streak down her nose and a white mouth. She was _adorable_ and reminded me of a Reese's cup, somewhat.

I'd made Edward buy me a pack of said candy after dropping her off with Carlisle and Esme, actually.

"She's so sweet, isn't she?" I asked, gently scratching under the kitten's chin. "I couldn't resist her cute face."

"She's orange! That's so _cool_."

"Very cool. So, doesn't she kind of remind you of a Reese's peanut butter cup?" I smirked.

"You want more, don't you?" Edward chuckled.

"Kind of," I giggled. "But I'm right, aren't it?"

Sofia nodded. "Yeah! She does. What's her name?"

"Whatever you'd like, Little One," Edward said. "I think your mom's a little fond of Reese's, though."

"Weese? Sorry . . . _Reese?_ "

"Do you want to call her Reese? I mean, I _love_ it," I laughed as Edward rolled his eyes.

She nodded. "We can try it. Wight now, you're Reese, kitten." She lifted the cat up, kissing her head as she meowed. "You're my kitty now, Reese. I love you."

. . . . .

Sofia barely put Reese down long enough to blow out her candles and eat cake and ice cream. The kitten mostly stayed in her arms, surprisingly content, actually. It even slept in her lap as she and Ben tried out her new video games. To be honest, it was probably just too terrified of her squealing to move. It wasn't until about six that everyone started to leave, and Sofia gave me the sleepy kitten so she could have her goodbye hugs and kisses.

"Thank you for my presents," she told Carlisle and Esme as he held her in his arms.

They were the last to go, sticking around to help clean up. Felix was a bit cranky, so Rose and Emmett had left a little after five — just before Dad and Sue. The entire day was so wonderful — minus the stitches, of course. Sofia had a great time, which was all that really mattered.

"You're very welcome, sweetpea," Carlisle said. "You know, I'm going to miss that little kitten."

"She would sleep on Pawpaw's chest," Esme said as Sofia giggled.

"Thank you for taking care of her. I love you."

"We love you too, honey," Esme said, standing on her toes to press a kiss to Sofia's cheek. "We'll see you in a few days, all right? I expect lots of pictures of Reese."

She nodded. "I'll make Mommy and Daddy send them."

"She'll make us," Edward whispered in my ear.

"Please, all she'll have to do is ask," I giggled.

Our daughter was spoiled, but it wasn't like we put up much of a fight. Edward's arm tightened around me, lying flat against my belly. Starting next year, we'd have _two_ of these parties for our babies, spoiling them rotten with love and affection and celebrating the wonderful days of their births.

The joy Sofia brought me was indescribable. Though this day didn't mark the anniversary of when she came into my life, it was one of my favorite days of the year. I may not have carried her like I was my son, but that didn't matter. She was my daughter and every day with her was a celebration.

I would be forever grateful for her and love her with all of my heart.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Faith**

"Jesus fucking Christ," I groaned, looking over the piles and piles of baby clothes that were now in the finished nursery. "What, does this dress him for the first two years?"

"Uh . . . I think a few of the outfits are for eighteen months," Bella giggled, easing down into the rocking chair. "I was a little spoiled, I guess."

I chuckled, shaking my head in disbelief. A little spoiled? Bella's shower had dressed our kid for eighteen months — and that wasn't even adding in the things that she'd already bought. I was just thankful I didn't have to attend the fiasco.

"So, are we all ready?"

The gray and light blue nursery had been completed last week, and I was pretty sure we had everything we needed for this kid. From a car seat and stroller set to stockpiling diapers, we had it all — a hell of a lot more than what I remembered Little One needing. We had five weeks until Bella's scheduled C-section — which was six days before her actual due date — and it all seemed to be happening so fucking fast.

A month.

My son would be here in _a month._

"No, I still want to get a few more things," she said as she looked over the clothes and gifts. "You have Friday off, don't you?"

I nodded, sitting down on the arm of the chair. "Yeah, why?"

Her lips curled into a smile as she caressed her stomach. "Well, I've made a deal with Sofia. Actually, your parents helped some. Carlisle told her that he misses Reese and asked if she could bring her over for the evening. With a little negotiating, I've managed to secure us a date night . . . which _might_ include a little more shopping."

"Date night, huh? An actual date or staying in?"

Even though she wasn't on bed rest, we still hadn't ventured out of the house much. She'd run a few errands with me, but besides my parent's house, Charlie's, and the Seattle trip, that was it. Honestly, I would have liked to have an evening out, eating somewhere nice and just being alone.

Pretty soon, that wouldn't be an option for quite some time.

"I was thinking about that incredible Italian place on the waterfront in Port Angeles." She bit her lip, looking so damn hopeful — as if I could possibly deny her.

I flashed a grin, nodding. "I think that sounds great, Nibbles. And Sofia's already on board?"

"Yep, but not for spending the night. She expects our return to your parents' by nine o'clock. Are you sure want to go? She has a half day, so I figured we could pick her up from school and head to your parents, do some shopping, and then have a nice dinner."

The shopping sounded fucking awful, but I'd live. "I'm positive. I think it's a great idea," I said, leaning down to kiss her.

She caressed my cheek, smiling as I pulled away. "You're kind of wonderful, just so you know."

"Yeah, pretty fucking awesome for sure." I smirked. "Now, what the hell do we do with this shit?"

"The clothes _all_ need to be washed and the other stuff put away. You'll keep being awesome and help me, right? I mean, I _did_ get you out of the baby shower."

I chuckled, nodding as I stood and held my hand out for her. She rose with a groan, stretching her back. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just sore and achy . . . and _huge_ ," she giggled.

In fact, she wasn't near as big as she thought. Don't get me wrong, her stomach was the perfect size for thirty-five weeks, but she looked fucking incredible. You know that whole glowing shit people say about pregnant women? Well, Bella was the only woman I'd ever noticed that in. She was the most gorgeous woman in the world, and always would be.

"You're perfect." I smiled, pressing my lips to her temple.

. . . . .

It only took us two days to get all the baby clothes, blankets, and towels washed and either put away in the nursery or in storage bins in the garage. Once we had everything sorted, Bella decided to go ahead and pack bags for the hospital. Well, repack them . . . again.

I couldn't keep my wife off of her feet if I tried, so I didn't. Dr. Uley said it was fine, and I was _pretty_ fucking sure this was that nesting shit I'd read about. Every night after work, I'd come home to a new request to move something. The changing table was a few inches too far to the right, the crib was too close to the wall, and the pictures on the walls just weren't straight enough.

And once the nursery seemed to be _just_ right, something else was off. It was an endless cycle, but I went along with it.

"I don't get why he doesn't have a name yet," Little One said from the backseat as we drove to my parent's house. "Can I give him a name? Because I _weally_ like Hunter."

Bella flashed me a smile, shaking her head slightly. That name had gone off the list weeks ago, along with about ten others. "We just haven't decided yet, sweet girl," she said. "We've got plenty of time left, though. He'll have a name soon."

I was honestly doubting that. I liked all the names on our list, but Bella couldn't decide and was afraid we'd pick a name that wouldn't match our son. It was understandable, so I had a feeling he wouldn't have a name until we actually held him in our arms.

I'd just taken to calling him my little man recently. I mean, it kind of complimented Little One, after all.

"Maybe this weekend we'll look up some more names," I said, looking into the rearview mirror. "Sound good?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh! Reese's meowing again."

The damn cat had barely shut up since we put her in the carrier, spare a few silent moments that she took to get her strength back. Apparently she wasn't much for travel, which I mean, _shocker_. But this was how we'd convinced Sofia to give us a night alone, so I had no choice but to put up with the annoying cries from the back. Actually, I felt a little bad for the furball.

I hadn't been too happy about agreeing to a kitten, but Reese wasn't _too_ bad. She mostly followed Little One or Bella around everywhere, but we seemed to bond around five-thirty every morning before my jog. I'd have coffee and she'd sit on the floor, eating her food in silence. This morning I'd found her curled up around my shoes, which . . . yeah, the cat was kind of cute.

She was growing on me.

"We're almost there," I said, pulling down my parent's long driveway. "I'm not sure she's a travel cat, though."

Little One giggled. "Nope, but Pawpaw misses her. Maybe we should put her with me on the way home, okay? She's just scared."

"We'll think about it, as long as you promise not to get her out," Bella said, and I laughed a little. Like hell. Sofia would have the cat in her lap five minutes into the drive and then be covered in scratches.

As soon as we pulled up to my parent's house, Little One was quick to undo her belt and climb over the seat into the back of Bella's SUV. By the time I opened the hatch to let her out, she had the kitten cradled to her chest.

"I didn't want her to be scared anymore," she said as I cocked my brow. "Will you take her?"

Sighing, I held my hand out for the cat as she firmly requested _two_ hands. She fucking loved and coddled Reese more than I ever imagined — about as overprotective as a kid could be of an animal. "Okay, two hands," I said, reaching out and taking the kitten from her.

She eyed me closely, sliding out of the back as I held the cat to my chest. I _almost_ wanted to pretend to drop the furball just to mess with her, but I had a feeling Bella would get pissed at me. I'd rather not have my very pregnant wife pissed, so I didn't do it. Once Little One was out of the back, she took Reese and hurried up the steps to her awaiting grandparents.

"Are you okay?" I asked, taking Bella's hand as she rubbed her stomach.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. He's just _really_ active."

I laid my hand over hers, feeling as our son kicked again. God, it was the most incredible feeling in the world and I'd honestly miss it once he was here . . . though, holding him _would_ be better.

. . . . .

We visited with my parents for a little while before leaving them alone with Sofia and Reese. Bella already knew exactly which shops she wanted to visit before our early dinner, so we started right away. Apparently, we needed _more_ baby shit.

We really didn't, if you asked me.

"Aww! Edward!" She grinned, holding up a little onesie. "It looks like a cardigan! He'd look so proper."

I cocked my brow, laughing at the ridiculous outfit. "He'll shit in it, but very . . . properly, I'm sure."

"It's cute and I want it," she said, dropping it into the basket I held before looking at another rack and saying, "Aww!" for the thousandth time.

I was suddenly _very_ thankful she'd done most of the shopping online or with my mom and sister because this _wasn't_ as fun for me as it was her. A smile was plastered on her face the whole time, though, so I dealt with it.

And I mean, some of the toys _were_ kind of awesome. I bought a Lego set, even though it wouldn't be played with for years . . . unless I could convince Little One to play with me.

Around six, Bella was finally done shopping, filling the back of the SUV with a dozen bags. Our reservation wasn't until seven, but we were able to be seated early. We'd visited this restaurant many times over the years, and in fact, it was where our first actual date had taken place.

"God, everything looks incredible," I said, about drooling on the menu.

"Mmhmm," Bella mumbled. "I need _extra_ Alfredo sauce with my breadsticks. It's your son's request."

I smirked. "Yeah, I'm sure it is."

"It is!" she laughed softly. "He's eased up on the weird things, you know? I think he deserves lots of Alfredo sauce."

I'd only had to run out in the middle of the night a few times in the past month, which _was_ nice. If she actually wanted to blame this on the kid, I'd let her. Besides, I could totally go for double dipping, too.

"It's _so_ nice to actually be out with you," Bella said, smiling as she laid her hand on the table. I clasped mine over hers, nodding in agreement. "The house is great and all, but I feel like I've been a little trapped."

"I know, Nibbles." To be fair, it wasn't so much her doctor that made her stay at home so much. It was me. I didn't want her driving — especially with only a month to go — and I just felt _better_ knowing she was home. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, no, don't be," she said, creasing her brow as she shook her head. "I'd have spent my _entire_ pregnancy on bed rest, if that was what it took. I don't blame you for wanting me to be home because even if you hadn't, _I_ wouldhave. I'm . . . kind of relieved this is almost over, though I'll miss having him in me. I just want him — safe and sound."

"Me too," I said, smiling as our waitress brought another dish of Alfredo and basket of breadsticks — our third dish, actually.

"We're tipping her _really_ well," Bella whispered, grinning as she broke the breadstick and dunked.

I just laughed over her excitement, loving seeing her so _happy._ The fact that it was over Alfredo sauce didn't matter. It was pretty fucking delicious, after all.

"How about we try to do this again before he comes?" I asked. "We might have to bring Sofia, though."

She nodded. "I think that sounds like a _great_ idea. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I love you."

"I love you, too. Also, oh my _god_ , this is so good! We need to get some to-go for my midnight snack," she laughed.

. . . . .

Dinner was fucking _incredible_. It felt so good to just relax, laugh with my wife, and talk about the nearing future. Work had been getting a little crazy lately in preparation for me taking over the chief of surgery position, and having a good time with Bella made me all but forget about the piles of paperwork on my desk.

"Oh," Bella sighed as we waited for dessert. She squirmed a little before beginning to lift herself awkwardly from her seat. "I'm going to go to the bathroom, okay?"

My brow creased, noticing her worrisome expression. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just _really_ have to go."

The really wasn't exaggerated, it seemed, as she waddled as quickly as she could away from the table. While I waited for her, I checked my phone, making sure the hospital hadn't called. Though I was off today, I was on back up call. It almost never turned out that they needed me, so I wasn't surprised to find no missed calls or texts. The no emails surprised me, though.

As I slid my phone back into my pocket, I lifted my head to find Bella walking slowly back toward the table. Her eyes were wide as she cradled her stomach, trembling softly.

I was quickly out of my seat, steadying her. "What's wrong?"

"I-I'm bleeding," she whispered fearfully as tears formed in her eyes. "More than last time."

My heart seemed to _stop_ for a moment as her words hit me. I couldn't fucking speak as thoughts raced through my mind, trying to grasp what she just said.

 _It's too soon._

 _Our son is in trouble._

 _Bella is_ bleeding.

"You're bleeding," I said, snapping back to reality. "Shit, sit down." I carefully helped her ease back down in the chair as she shook — tears beginning to flow freely down her cheeks.

"We need to go to the hospital."

"We're only a few blocks away. I'm going to pull the car around, all right? Just breathe . . . It'll be okay."

Fuck, I didn't know if it'd be okay. With her placenta previa, we'd known full well that there was a chance of more bleeding, but . . . it was fucking terrifying. Our evening had been so wonderful, but now, _fuck._ This was the _last_ thing Bella and our son needed. It was too fucking soon.

I could lose them . . . both of them.

And I wasn't about to let that happen, so I pushed my fear aside, formulating a plan. I left Bella for a minute to inform the hostess of what had happened. The manager was upfront with her, and told me not to worry about anything. I quickly pulled the car as close to the doors as I could before rushing back inside for Bella — finding another patron with her as she held her stomach, crying softly.

"Have you had contractions?" I asked, kneeling down in front of her.

She sniffled, nodding slowly. "Braxton Hicks ones, but . . . they haven't been bad. I've had them for weeks now. I-I _swear_ they haven't been bad."

"Shhh, it's all right. We need to go, and I'll call Dr. Uley on the way, okay?"

"And Sofia? She'll be upset if we go too long without calling her."

"We'll call my parents, too."

"Okay," she sighed, holding her hands out. "I'm really scared."

 _Me fucking too,_ I thought.

"It'll all be okay."

. . . . .

I pulled up to Olympic Medical Center in record time, the SUV screeching to a halt. Things happened quickly as soon as we arrived. Bella was taken straight up to the labor and delivery unit and a crowd of people were there to care for her, per Dr. Uley's call. When I'd talked to Emily, she said she'd just left but would be right back and everything would be handled for us.

Needless to say, it was. A nurse with a wheelchair was waiting for us at the main entrance.

Bella wasn't bleeding _horribly_ , but it was more than the trickle she'd experienced before. It was enough to tell me that our son would probably be delivered soon _._ Every small amount of blood that left her was blood that our son wasn't getting, and without that, he'd die.

"While we wait for Dr. Uley, we're going to take a look at your placenta," her nurse, Chelsea said, said as she connected the fetal monitors while the ultrasound tech messed with the machine.

Bella's hand tightened in mine as she nodded. "Is he okay?"

"We'll know soon," I said, offering her a comforting smile. Well, as much as I could muster up. I was fucking terrified, but I knew Bella was worse. I _had_ to be strong for her. "How far is Emily?"

"I'm sure she'll be here any minute," Chelsea said as a _whoosh_ filled the room. "And the good news is that your son's heartbeat is perfect _._ "

She smiled, lowering Bella's gown as tears burned my eyes. That sound was . . . it was fucking incredible. I watched the monitor with rapt attention, focusing on that perfect beat. I'd never been so relieved in my life, to be honest.

"He's okay," Bella cried, laying her hand over her stomach. "You're okay, baby boy."

I nodded, clearing my throat. "And he's going to stay that way. Right, little man?" I laid my hand over hers, caressing softly.

"Oh," Bella gasped, squeezing my hand for a brief moment. She slowly relaxed and breathed out. "That . . . that hurt."

My eyes were wide, looking with Chelsea at the monitor. She had a fucking _contraction._ From the monitor, it didn't look very strong, but still. It was so fucking dangerous for Bella to go into labor with her placenta partially covering her cervix. The bleeding could get out of control so quickly and our son would be deprived of the oxygen he needed. It was the _worst_ case scenario. Any minuscule chance that the bleeding would stop and Bella's pregnancy would go on was over.

Our son would be born tonight.

"I-I need to call my parents," I said, pulling my phone out as the ultrasound tech laid the transducer on Bella's stomach.

"Please," Bella said, wiping her tears. "And my dad, too."

I held her hand, nodding as I put the phone to my ear. "It'll be okay," I said for what seemed like that thousandth time, praying to fucking God I wasn't lying.

. . . . .

My parents and Little One were getting in the car before I'd even hung up the phone, and Charlie said he'd use lights and sirens to get here as fast as possible. What had been such an incredible evening was now my worst nightmare, and all I could do was _hope_ my wife and son would be okay.

I felt so damn useless.

"We need to get you prepped right away, Bella," Dr. Uley said as my wife cried, shaking her head. "We can't waste any time — not with you having contractions."

"I _need_ time with my daughter," Bella begged. "Just twenty minutes, please?"

"They should be here soon," I said, glancing at my watch. "What about getting an epidural first, and then giving us just a few minutes before taking her to the OR?"

Emily sighed, looking over at the monitor. "His heart rate is stable _right now_ , but there's no guarantee it'll stay that way long. We'll get you prepped, Bella, and then _ten_ minutes, all right? That's all I can agree to in good conscience."

"I'll take it." Bella nodded fervently. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet because I _will_ take you right away if anything changes. I'm going to get an anesthesiologist in here and prep. Edward, you need to, as well."

"Yeah," I said, standing up. "I just need to change, okay? I'll be _right_ back."

"Okay," Bella said, pulling me down to her. "I love you."

"I love you too, Nibbles." I leaned down, pressing my lips to hers. She held me to her and for a few brief seconds, I felt a sense of comfort. "We're going to meet our son."

She smiled with tears in her eyes. "I'd have been okay with waiting, but . . . as long as he's healthy, I'm excited to finally see him."

"He'll be perfect."

She was thirty-five weeks and five days. It wasn't the best time for him to be born, but he could very possibly be perfectly healthy. He'd be a little small, a little weak maybe, but his chances of survival were high — extremely high, in fact. The only serious concern was getting him out in time.

I rushed through changing into scrubs, throwing my clothes into my old locker that I used from time to time before hurrying back to Bella. As I was about to walk into the room, I noticed Jasper running his ass off down the hall — clearly receiving the text I'd sent minutes before.

"Holy shit, dude," Jasper said, panting. "I was about to leave for the night. How is she? How's the baby?"

"Hanging in there," I sighed. "I'm so fucking glad to see you."

He clasped his hand on my shoulder as a smile crept onto his face. "I'll take care of the little guy."

When we'd planned the cesarean, Bella and I both agreed that since Jasper was a nurse — and not direct family — we wanted him to be in the OR for our son. He was still an ICU nurse here, but had spent his first few years out of school in pediatrics. He'd make sure our baby boy would be all right, and now I needed that more than ever.

I needed someone I knew and trusted to look after my son.

"Thank you," I said. "They're taking Bella soon. Will you go check if my parents are here and bring Sofia back for me? Dr. Uley said Bella could have ten minutes with her."

He nodded. "Of course. Tell her I'll call Alice, too."

"Thanks."

As he walked away, I headed back into the room. Chelsea was still with Bella, keeping a watchful eye on our son's heart rate. I took my seat again and Bella was quick to clasp her hand back around mine — it was the only comfort, besides the steady whoosh, that either of us seemed to have.

I filled her in about Jasper as we waited for the anesthesiologist — who arrived within ten minutes. I fucking _hated_ seeing Bella in pain during the procedure, but it was done quickly. In fact, the doctor finished and I helped Bella lay down just as Little One ran into the room in front of Jasper.

"Mommy!" she cried. I quickly caught her in my arms, holding her tightly as I sat down on the bed with her. Tears ran down her red cheeks as her eyes took in the scary sight. "He's too early!"

Bella nodded, smiling sadly. "He's a little impatient, sweetheart. He's going to be okay, though."

"What about you?"

"Oh, I'm going to be fine, too. Right, Edward?"

"Mommy will be just fine," I agreed, kissing Sofia's cheek as she sniffled. "I know it's scary that it's happening so fast, but babies tend to do things on their own schedule."

"He needs to get in trouble for this."

I chuckled, admiring how simple she made this. "Yeah, I think so, too."

"We'll have to ground him once he's a little older," Bella teased. "But, isn't it a little exciting that we get to meet him tonight?"

"Uh-huh, but you _hafta_ be okay. Promise?"

"I _swear_. Cross my heart, even."

"I'll be with her, baby," I said. "We're going to have to go soon, but how about cuddling with Mommy for a few minutes?"

She eyed Bella cautiously before raising herself up in my lap and whispering, "Will I huwt her?"

"No, baby." I shook my head, smiling as I stood with her, helping her get settled into Bella's side. "All these wires are telling us how your brother is doing and the tubes are for Mommy, so just don't tug them, all right?"

"Okay," she said, cuddling as close to Bella as she could, laying her head on her mom's chest.

Bella grinned with tears in her eyes once more, putting her arm around Sofia. The three of us talked for the entire ten minutes — which passed _way_ too quickly. She asked about the baby, about what would happen to him, and when she could hold him. She never _once_ asked how any of this would affect her. She really only cared to talk about her brother.

The moment we'd been building up to for months was here. Our life as we knew it was over, and Little One had no qualms about it. She may have been a little jealous here and there— and more would come in time — but she was doing so much better with this than I'd imagined. She couldn't fucking wait to be a big sister.

"I'm gonna hold you after Mommy and Daddy," she told Bella's stomach, kissing it goodbye. "I'm your big sister, so I get to before anyone else. Right, Mommy?"

Bella nodded, smoothing her hand over Sofia's hair. "Of course, sweet girl. I'll be in surgery for a little while, but the moment I'm out, Daddy will come get you and you can hold him. We'll make Nana wait."

I smirked, thinking of my Mom's devastated expression over this news. "I'm sure she'll live . . . hopefully."

"She will," Little One said. "Bye-bye, Mommy."

I picked her up so she could give Bella a hug and kiss — the hug lasting as long as it possibly could.

"I love you _so, so_ much, sweet girl," Bella said, peppering our daughter's cheek with _more_ kisses. "I'll see you really soon."

"I love you too, Mommy." She let me pull her away and then hugged me tightly. "Please make sure she's okay," she whispered in my ear.

I smiled, nodding. "I promise that I will. Love you, Little One."

"Love you, too."

Jasper stepped up and Little One went to his arms without complaint, giving my cheek one last kiss. Once they left, Chelsea returned with a few other staff members, quickly preparing Bella for transport.

"Ready?" I asked, caressing her cheek.

She nodded, smiling with tears in her eyes as she answered, "Yes."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: Father's Son**

The operating room had always been my second home. There was no other place in the world where I felt more sure and in control. I could always step into one and feel like _this_ was my place in the world — this room was where I'd do what I excelled at.

It was where I saved lives.

The bright lights and sterile scent had always been calming to me, but tonight . . . I'd never felt more anxious and terrified. There was no comfort in this room as my wife rested upon the table, draped in the blue sheets with her stomach covered in the orange antiseptic.

"Edward," Bella said softly as I sat down beside her head, watching hers and our son's heart rates. I smiled under my mask, laying my hand in her outstretched one. "I-I'm scared."

"You'll be all right," I said. "Emily knows what she's doing, and I'm right here."

She shook her head as tears slid down the side of her face. "What if he can't breathe? He's too little . . . it's too soon. I can't lose him."

"We're _not_ going to lose him. His survival rate is ninety-nine percent. That's . . ." I shook my head, "it's as good as it would be in two weeks or five. If he has _any_ issues breathing, Jasper and the pediatrician will take care of him, but I highly doubt he will."

"Promise me that you'll take care of him? I want _you_ to tell me he's okay."

I nodded, caressing her cheek. "I can do that."

The door suddenly swung open and Dr. Uley entered, quickly sliding her arms through the surgical gown. The woman was experienced, but all the experience in the world couldn't help sometimes. Now that we were in the OR, my worry seemed to shift from my son to Bella. There was a very good chance of severe hemorrhaging because of her condition, which could easily take the woman I loved more than my own life away from me.

The woman who made me a better man. The woman who loved me unconditionally — so easily and deeply. Bella was my world, and she had been from the moment she changed Little One's diaper that night so many years ago. I changed for Sofia, yes, but . . . I _stayed_ changed for her. I couldn't remember my life before her, and I refused to imagine a life without her.

It wouldn't be a life worth living.

She made life incredible.

She made it beautiful.

She was my soul mate.

Lifting Bella's hand to kiss her knuckles, I stood from my stool and took a few steps toward Emily. "I can't live without her," I said, feeling myself close to breaking down. "Swear to me that you can to this and keep her safe."

She sighed. "She's in good hands, Edward. I will do _everything_ in my power to make sure she comes through. Her placenta _is_ low and in a dangerous position for vaginal birth, but I'm confident that I can deliver your son and keep her well. We both know the risks, though — as does she. We're taking precautions."

The blood products were in the OR, ready to be transfused if necessary. I prayed to God they wouldn't be, but seeing them gave me _some_ comfort. In fact, looking around the room, I knew there was nothing else I could ask for.

We were ready.

"I know," I said, nodding.

Her eyes crinkled with a smile before I slowly returned to my seat beside Bella. A huge part of me _really_ would have preferred to be on the other side of the curtain, but Bella needed me with her — and there was no fucking chance in hell Emily would let me.

I asked.

My hand once again found Bella's as she let out a slow breath, looking up at the ceiling. "How badly did you threaten her?"

She turned her head, revealing a small smile on her lips as I chuckled. "I didn't. I just told her that you're my life, and I needed to be sure she could do this."

"Life, huh?"

I nodded. "You're the only woman I've ever loved. And as confusing as that love was, once upon a time, I could never live without it."

"I love you too, Edward. Thank you."

I scoffed, smirking. "Thank _you_. Thank you for loving me, for loving Sofia, and for carrying our son. I hope he's just like you."

"Why, because you're afraid of having a boy just like you?" she giggled softly.

"Hell yes. Sofia is enough of a handful."

"Maybe a little." She nodded. "Now, kiss me?"

"You never have to ask."

I pulled down my mask and dipped my head, capturing her lips with mine for a brief moment before _someone_ cleared their throat.

Fucker.

"It's time to have a baby," Emily said, peering down at Bella over the curtain. "Ready?"

Bella nodded as her hand tightened in mine. "Yes . . . Will you hold him up for me to see right away?"

"Of course."

After briefly reiterating what Bella could expect, Emily picked up a scalpel as I lifted myself up some, looking over the curtain. I watched intently as she made the first of many cuts into my wife. I thought about each move she'd make before she made it, staying one step ahead. Once she was to Bella's uterus, I held my breath.

"He's almost here," I said, glancing down to meet Bella's eyes.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "Please let him be okay."

I looked back down as Emily pulled his head free and . . . I had _no_ words to describe the amazing moment. Tears burned my eyes as she suctioned his mouth and nose before pulling out his small body, holding him up.

"Here he is!" she announced as the _softest_ of cries began, gradually getting louder and louder. It was the most beautiful sound in the world.

"He's breathing!" Bella cried. "Oh God, Edward! He's gorgeous!"

"He . . . he _is,_ " I whispered in awe, grinning from ear to ear. "Bella, he's incredible."

She nodded, sniffling as she looked at him. "He's Owen."

. . . . .

Bella was only able to look at our son for about thirty seconds before he was passed off to Jasper. She released my hand, telling me to go as soon as he disappeared from her view. I was quickly out of my seat, following behind Jasper to the warmed bassinet.

"APGAR at one minute is eight," he said, rubbing my son down as the pediatrician examined him. "Sounds like he has a pretty healthy set of lungs on him."

I nodded, clearing my throat. "God, look at him."

 _Holy shit_ , he was indescribable. He was . . . perfect. He was pink and loud and angry as hell — just like he was supposed to be.

And his head was _full_ of red hair, just like Little One's had been as a baby.

"He's beautiful, Edward," Jasper said, patting my shoulder. "We'll weigh and measure him and then you can have him back."

I nodded, watching his and the pediatrician's every movement with my son closely. As they weighed him, I looked back at Bella and her monitors. "How is she? How's the bleeding?"

"A little worse than I'd hoped for, to be honest," Emily said, meeting my eyes. "I'm trying to get it under control."

My heart was torn in two directions, but with a glance toward my son and seeing he was doing well, I rushed back to Bella's side. Her blood pressure was lower than before — not dangerously so yet, but _lower._ I laid my hand against Bella's cheek, turning her head toward me.

"Owen is _great_ ," I said. "His one minute Apgar is eight, which is incredible for his gestation. He's pink and squirming, screaming at Jasper to leave him alone because he wants _you_. He's got red hair, Bella. A lot of it, actually."

She smiled softly as she cried. "You make cute red-headed babies. He's okay?"

I nodded. "He's perfect."

I looked over the curtain again, watching what Emily was doing for my wife. The placenta had been delivered, but Bella wasn't contracting — which caused the hemorrhage I'd feared. The minutes ticked by slowly — my heart racing the entire time — as Emily worked and Bella was given another round of medication.

"It's under control," Emily said finally, looking up at me after a few minutes. "How do you feel, Bella?"

"I'm okay," she said, almost unfazed by the terrifying moment. Thank fuck she didn't seem to lose too much blood. "Can I have Owen?"

I smiled, sighing in relief. "Yeah, I'll get him, Nibbles." I leaned down, kissing her forehead before standing up.

Jasper was swaddling Owen, talking softly to him. "He's five pounds, nine ounces and sixteen inches long," he said, lifting him carefully. "Five minute Apgar is nine."

I held my arms out and he placed my sonin them gently. I was holding my _son_. My healthy, beautiful, pissed off son. And I cried — actually fucking cried. "Hey, little man," I said. "I _love_ you so much, and I'm so incredibly happy to meet you. I bet you want your mommy, though, huh?

A scream was his answer, and I took it as "hell yes". I carefully walked with him back over to Bella as her nurse pulled the blanket and gown down over her chest. I laid Owen down and she quickly laid her arm over him and me.

"Edward, he looks like you!" she said. "Hi, baby boy. Hi. I'm your mommy and I love you." She cried as I ran my thumb over her forehead, not daring to obstruct her view of our beautiful son.

"So . . . Owen?"

She nodded. "It just fits, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it really does. I love you, Bella. Thank you _so much_."

"I love you, too." She grinned.

. . . . .

Bella was able to keep Owen on her chest throughout the rest of the procedure — with my help, of course. The blood loss had made her weak, and though it wasn't a _massive_ amount, it was enough to warrant a transfusion. She seemed unfazed by it, though, and was completely enamored of our son — our healthy, beautiful baby boy.

"He's doing great," Jasper said, examining Owen once more before Bella was transferred to recovery. "We're going to watch his oxygen saturation level and body temperature closely, but as long as you keep the skin-to-skin contact or have him swaddled, he should be fine."

I nodded, smiling as I held my hand out, shaking his and patting his back. "Thank you, Jasper. I don't know what the hell I'd have done without you."

"I _am_ the best nurse in this hospital." He smirked. "I'll stick around for a while and check in once you're all settled, all right?"

"Thank you," Bella said, holding Owen to her chest as she was being prepped for transport. "Edward, you should go give the good news."

I wanted to scream this from the fucking rooftop, but at the same time, I hated the idea of leaving her and Owen. "I'll go once you're settled."

She raised her eyebrows, giving me her, do-whatever-the-hell-I-say look. It was a little terrifying. "Please go?"

"Fine," I sighed, leaning down to press my lips to hers. Owen decided to end his momentary silence, so I quickly pulled away. "Yeah, yeah, I guess she's yours now."

Bella giggled. "I'm sure he just wants the boob. I love you."

"I love you too. Also, you look fucking gorgeous."

"Ha!" she scoffed. "If you're buttering me up to let you hold him, flattery will get you nowhere. You can have him later."

Actually, she did look incredible holding our son, but . . . I did kind of want the kid. She'd sleep at some point, though. After kissing her and Owen once more, I headed out of the OR for the waiting room. The moment I opened the door, everyone seemed to jump from their seats and Sofia took off running toward me.

"Is he here?" she asked. "Is Mommy okay?"

I grinned, nodding as I picked her up. "Owen Charles Cullen was born at eight-sixteen. He weighs five pounds, nine ounces and is sixteen inches long. He's . . . he's fucking perfect. His lungs are _great_ _—_ his scream is ear piercing, in fact."

"Oh, Edward!" Mom exclaimed, throwing her arms around me, squishing Little One between us. "I'm _so_ relieved!"

"Congratulations, son," Dad said. "I bet he's beautiful."

I nodded. "Yeah, he really is."

"Charles, huh?" Charlie asked, chuckling softly. "Did Bella pick his entire name?"

"Actually, yeah," I laughed. "But it fits him. We've known his middle name, but we just decided on Owen. Well, she did."

"And how is she?"

"She's good, but she did lose a fair amount of blood," I sighed. "It was terrifying, but it was resolved quickly. They're giving her a transfusion now to help."

"What happened?" Dad asked.

Taking a few minutes to sit down, I told them how everything had happened — from the restaurant to the operating room. I could count the times on one hand I'd been that terrified, though I'd probably exaggerated a million times. There was nothing more unimaginable than the thought of losing my family — of losing Bella.

She was my rock, plain and simple.

"I'm so glad everything will be okay," Mom said. "So, when can we meet him?"

"I get to hold him first!" Little One yelled. "Right, Daddy? Right?"

"Yes, you do," I laughed as Mom's eyes bulged. "Bella promised her, Mom. You can have him next."

"Fine," she sighed with a small smile. "Why don't you take Sofia and Charlie back first, then?"

"Really?" Charlie asked. "Are-are you sure, Esme?"

She nodded. "She's your daughter, so of course I'm sure. We'll get to see her and Owen soon enough."

"I still like Hunter more," Sofia said.

I cocked my brow as my mouth fell open. "Let's, uh . . . not say that to Mommy, okay?"

"I won't, but Hunter _would_ be better. Just saying."

She was totally going to say that to Bella.

. . . . .

The moment Sofia met her brother for the first time would _always_ be etched in my mind. The happiness on her face from seeing him, from him squeezing her finger, and the love she spoke so quickly easily made it one of my favorite moments in this incredible life.

"Why's he so sleepy?" she asked, sitting in a chair next to the bed and holding him as I kneeled beside her, watching closely.

"He's been through _a lot_ , sweet girl," Bella said. "Birth is kind of traumatic for babies, so he's recovering. He'll be more alert in a few days."

She nodded, moving her hand from under his head — which I quickly reached out to hold — and brushed her fingers over his forehead. "He's pretty."

"Yeah, he is," I said. "He doesn't have a potato alien face at all."

Bella choked out a laugh, holding her hand over her mouth. "What?"

"I said he _doesn't._ " I smirked. "He's perfect."

Okay, he had a _little_ bit of an alien face, but almost thirty-six weeks in a uterus did that to every kid. It was expected, just not mentioned. To me, though, he was beautiful.

"Do you want him, Gampy?" Sofia asked.

He smiled. "Only if you're ready to give him up, pumpkin."

"Yeah, I'll have him again later. I love you, Owen." She dipped her head, kissing his forehead softly. He squirmed some in her arms, causing her to pull back quickly with wide eyes. "Did I make him mad?"

"No, he's fine," I said, taking him from her. "That was him saying that he loves you, too."

As I passed Charlie his first grandson, the look on his face was priceless. The gruff man had tears in his eyes as he whispered hello. "God, he's incredible, Bells," he said in awe.

"I think so, too," she said, smiling as Little One joined her on the bed.

"Thank you for giving him my name."

"It was the only name I could actually pick," she laughed. "I wanted him to have a part of you because . . . you've always been there. You're an incredible father and the reason I'm who I am. You needed to be honored and Edward completely agreed."

I nodded. "It just fit and felt right."

"It's an honor," he said. "I can't express how happy it makes me. I'm so proud of you, kiddo — of both of you. You've raised a great girl and I know you'll do just as amazing with this guy."

"We learned from the best," Bella said. "We're lucky to have such wonderful parents."

After a few minutes with him, Charlie gave Owen back to me and I kept him to myself once he took Little One back out. Bella's nurse and doctor were in, and everything looked good so they said she could be moved to an actual room. She looked exhausted and was clearly starting to feel uncomfortable, but never fucking complained.

Obviously, my wife was a hell of a lot stronger than I could ever be.

I felt bad for hoarding the kid — admittedly not as bad as I should have felt — so I gave him back to her once we were settled in the room. It didn't take much for her to figure out nursing, either. After a little help from her nurse to get started, she seemed completely at ease — though worried he wasn't getting what he needed. After being assured he _was_ , she relaxed a little and we just watched our newborn.

"Can you believe we made this?" she asked, smiling up at me as I lay next to her on the bed.

"I recall the incredible sex, yes," I laughed. "Really, though . . . he's amazing. I can't believe he's okay. I mean, I hoped he would be, but it's such a relief to know he is. I was scared out of my mind."

"Me too," she sighed. "I really wish I could have carried him a little longer. I . . . I feel like I pushed myself too hard."

I shook my head, holding her a little tighter as tears filled her eyes. "No, you didn't. It was just time and you couldn't have helped your condition. He's _perfect_ , which is all that matters. And now we don't have to wait."

"That's true. Edward, before your parents come in . . . I just want to tell you something."

"Anything."

She took my hand, squeezing it as she looked at our son. "You beat yourself up for things you did in the past. You've said more than once how grateful you are to me that I gave you a chance, but I don't think you realize how grateful _I_ am. I look at this little boy, and I'm proud to know you're his father. You changed your life in a moment because a little girl depended on you. A lot of men wouldn't have.

"You struggled, but that's okay. I'm grateful to know that _my_ husband — the father of my children — would give up anything for us. I love you for more reasons than I could possibly explain and I'm _way_ too exhausted to list them," she laughed softly, shaking her head, "but . . . I just want you to know how proud I am of you and that there's _no one_ else in this world I could ever be with who would make me feel as happy, as loved, as secure as you do."

"I love you too, Bella," I said, kissing her temple. "I'm the luckiest man in the world because I have _you_ and our kids. Fatherhood is the best thing that ever happened to me. It led me to you."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: Family Time**

"Shhh, Little Man," I soothed, rubbing his small belly as he rested on my knees in the recliner. "Let's give Mommy a little more sleep, okay?"

It was just past four in the morning and I was wide awake with Owen. Bella had fed him about an hour ago, but he'd been a little fussy since. He wasn't screaming, but he certainly wasn't peaceful, either. She was _exhausted_ , so I tried everything I could to keep him calm. He seemed to like the belly rubbing, at least.

Though he came into this world hours ago, I was still in awe of my _son._ I was a father again and this time to a little boy — a boy I wanted to keep safe, happy, and healthy. He was so small on the pillow over my legs, swaddled in blankets to keep his temperature regulated while he wasn't on Bella. I couldn't believe he was actually here. It felt like some incredible dream that I was _holding_ him after so many months.

"God, you look like your mom," I said. "You've got her lips, I think. You just . . . you're so much like the both of us. I need you to be calm and caring like her, though, all right? She's got this air about her, you know? She can just make things better. I guess that's probably why you're fussy, but she needs some sleep, too. She's been through a lot."

Bella had been through _hell_ , actually. She'd been scared to death, restricted, poked and prodded, and cut open because of this pregnancy. But I knew she'd do it again just for him — she'd said so. She looked at the terrifying possibilities with a brave face, completely sure our son would be fine.

Her strength was incredible.

"I was so sure you'd be a girl," I laughed, lifting him from the pillow and laying him against my chest as he squirmed to find his comfortable spot. "I kind of even thought the ultrasounds would turn out to be wrong. It was pretty much impossible after how many times we'd seen you, but the thought crossed my mind. I'm _so_ happy to have a son, though I'm thrilled to have a daughter, too. My father never forced me to be like him, but I _wanted_ to be. I looked at him as if he were a damn superhero because to me, he was.

"I hope you'll look at me like that someday. I hope I make you proud, like I am of my dad. I never want to let you down, and I'll _never_ force you to be like me. But . . . surgeons run in the family, you know," I joked as he gave an unamused gurgle. "Whatever you do in life, I'll be proud of. That's my promise to you, Owen. I'll take care of you, I'll keep you safe, and I'll love you — no matter what."

I kissed his head over the hat and rubbed his back as he squirmed in my arms. He didn't care what I said. He wouldn't remember it. I needed to say it, though, and I planned to repeat it often and show him my love, just like I did for Little One.

I really wished she were here right now, curled into my side. I couldn't wait until I could take my family home and we'd all be together. Sofia _loved_ Owen already. When she'd held him for the second time, she did even better. Hell, she seemed more comfortable with him than I did. The fact that not a sliver of jealously was evident made me so fucking happy. We'd prepared her for this, explained time and time again that our love for her wouldn't change, and I think that made this easier for her. She wasn't the center of attention for once, but she didn't give a shit.

She was just as captivated by Owen as the rest of us.

Raising one kid wasn't simple in the slightest, so I had no clue how this would go. I could see jealousy in the future and bickering, but I could also see happiness. Our family had grown last night, and the road wouldn't be easy, but I knew it'd be worth it.

Being a father was what I was meant for and I thanked God that Sofia had fallen into my life so abruptly. I owed this feeling of _knowing_ my place in the world to her, to Bella, and to every wrong turn that had led me here.

. . . . .

"Are you in pain?" I asked, trying to help Bella get a little more comfortable for nursing. I stuffed pillows everywhere, trying to support her sore abdomen as she laid on her side.

"I'm okay," she said as I cocked my brow. "Okay . . . I'm sore. I did just have my stomach cut open, though."

"Do you want to lie flat?"

She shook her head as she tried to get Owen to latch. "No, I want to try like this. I'm _fine_ , Edward. I've got pain medicine."

Honestly, I was feeling a little useless, but it wasn't like I could do much. Owen needed Bella, and Bella needed Owen. I just couldn't stand seeing my wife in pain, which she clearly was. Sighing softly, I sat down in the chair beside the bed and watched as she fed him.

"Dad and Sofia should be here soon," I said, reaching out to rub Owen's back. "Charlie should be here with your stuff, too."

She nodded, laying her head against the pillow. "Thank you for staying up with him. I'm sorry I'm a little moody."

"I think you have a right to be," I chuckled. "It's kind of difficult to turn off the doctor, I guess."

"Eh, I'm sure we'll be calling on those skills soon enough." She smiled. "You've been great, really. I was able to sleep and I haven't changed a single diaper! You keep that up and I might just get used to it."

"It's like riding a bike. And I haven't even used gloves." I smirked.

She laughed. "I'd clap, but my hands are full."

As Owen nursed and she rested her eyes again, my phone dinged in my pocket. I pulled it out, finding a text from Dad that he and Sofia were here. To not startle Sofia with the whole, boobs-on-display thing yet, I asked him to give us a few more minutes. Bella had explained a little, but I figured a demonstration wasn't required.

"Are you sure he's still all right?" Bella asked. "How long will he have to stay?"

I shrugged. "If he keeps doing so well, I wouldn't be surprised if they send you both home together. His lungs are perfectly developed, he's done great with his body temperature, and all of his tests have come back perfect. Honestly, I _think_ you might have been off with your due date."

"How? I've had a billion ultrasounds!"

"But your first wasn't until after eight weeks, so it can be a little off. It's a good thing. He's definitely early, but you were probably thirty-six weeks instead of thirty-five. Some babies just do better than others being born early. He was ready."

She nodded, laying her hand over mine on his back. "Well, I don't even care as long as he's okay. Can we just call him incredible, though?"

"Yeah, we can do that," I chuckled. "How's he doing?"

She looked down at him with a smile. "I think he's almost done. Tell your dad he can bring Sofia in. I miss my baby girl."

"Me too, Nibbles," I said, pulling my phone back out and texting him.

As soon as Bella had adjusted herself again and her nurse had finished checking on her, there was another knock on the door. Bella called out and the door swung open as Little One bounced in with Dad and Charlie right behind her.

"We found Gampy in the hall!" Sofia said as I swung her onto my hip. "Hi, Daddy!"

"Hey, baby girl," I said, kissing her cheek. "I love you."

"Love you, too. Gampy's got Owen's clothes. Can I pick his outfit, _please_?"

Bella laughed softly, nodding. "Yeah, sweetie, you can do that. Come here first."

She patted the bed and I set Sofia down so she could hug Bella. She quickly kissed her brother's head, patting his back. "Hi, Owen. Does he 'member me?"

"I'm sure he knows your voice," I said as I took the bags from Charlie. "Thanks for stopping and picking these up."

He nodded. "No problem. I gotta get to the station for a little while, but I was wondering if I could bring Sue later?"

"Of course," Bella said. "Rose and Emmett are coming by after lunch, so maybe around dinnertime so it's not too crowded? I want her to hold him, but he was getting a little fussy being passed around a lot last night."

Between Sofia, my parents, Charlie, and Alice and Jasper, Owen had been like a fucking hot potato last night. Rose and Emmett decided to come today so it wasn't crowded, which I was actually pretty thankful for. I wanted my sister and brother-in-law to meet my son, but he wasn't going anywhere. Alice and Jasper only stayed for about ten minutes last night, so I knew they'd be coming by again at some point, too.

"Yeah, that works," Charlie said, stepping up to Bella's bedside. "He looks like you, you know."

"He looks like Edward," she said, shaking her head. "But . . . I have a little hope for our eyes. Brown will totally beat green."

"Sad, but most likely true," Dad said. "Or he could keep blue eyes like me. He needs a little Pawpaw, if you ask me."

I chuckled. "Watch his hair turn blond now."

"No! I like my red-headed babies," Bella giggled, rubbing Sofia's back. "I swear they're the cutest kids in the world."

"That's true," Charlie said. "Pumpkin heads galore because of Edward. I'm going to head out, all right?"

She nodded, lifting her arm to embrace him. "Thanks for coming by. Love you, Dad."

"Love you too, Bells."

After saying goodbye, Charlie left but Dad stuck around. He quickly managed to coax Bella into giving him Owen, and held him hostage for over a half hour while Bella cleaned up and Sofia watched cartoons.

"I'm so proud of you, Edward," he said, rocking with Owen on his chest. The kid was passed out and I was a little — a fucking lot — jealous. My parents were still baby whisperers. "He seems to be doing amazingly well."

I nodded. "Yeah, it . . . it feels like a miracle. Thank you."

"So . . . you didn't want to name him Carlisle?" He smirked. "It's a strong name, you know."

"Sorry, but hell no. Honestly, I liked most of the names Bella picked because we had one rule — not Edward. She was a little worried about naming him after Charlie and not you, though."

He shook his head. "I was kidding. I wouldn't wish my name on any kid nowadays. I like Charles — it fits. As long as he's a Cullen, I'm happy. He's beautiful and his name is perfect."

"You know . . . I wanted a son so that I could be the father to him that you were to me. I've always wanted to be like you, even now that I'm thirty-five and have two kids of my own."

"I made mistakes, son. If I could go back and be there for you more, I would. We share the same passion about being surgeons, but I don't want you to get so wrapped up in it like I did. Be home. Go to games. Do homework. Promise me that?"

I nodding, smiling. "That's my plan. Forks surgical department isn't _too_ strenuous and I've already decided I'll never go for chief of staff. I like being a surgeon in Forks. Giving your position to Emmett was the best thing you ever did for me. It was right."

"It wasn't a decision I made lightly, so thank you for understanding." He sighed, and his eyes softened. "Lives change, priorities change, and I'm just glad you're _happy_. That's all I ever wanted for my kids."

"I'm the happiest man in the world," I said, looking between Sofia and Owen. "I'm a dad."

. . . . .

After Bella was cleaned up and we spent some time together, Dad left with a promise to return with Mom in a few hours. Sofia sat in my lap in the recliner, which was pulled up right next to the bed. After nursing again — as Bella explained it to her — Little One picked out the onesie she wanted Owen to wear and then held him. He was alert and she kept saying he was looking at her. Her grin was fucking priceless, so if she wanted to believe that, she could. He may have been, after all.

"Can I bring him to show and tell?" she asked, looking up at Bella. "You wanna show him to everyone, wight?"

"I'll bring him to school in a few weeks," Bella said, trying not to laugh. "I don't think your brother is really show and tell material, though."

"But I'd have the best show and tell in the _whole_ class! How about you think about it?"

I smirked, chuckling at her refusal of 'no'. The kid wasn't going to be a show and tell item, but I knew Bella would happily show him off at school soon anyway.

"I'll _think_ about it," Bella said. "Can Daddy take him to check if he needs to be changed?"

Little One nodded and I carefully scooped Owen into my arms to lay him on the bed. Unsurprisingly, his diaper _was_ dirty and fucking disgusting, but I changed it for Bella without complaint. She'd get her turn eventually, and I knew my little man wouldn't go easy on her either.

"He's wide-eyed," I said, lifting him back up and holding him to my chest. I kissed his cheek as he gurgled contentedly, snuggling against me. "So, now are you all right with a brother instead of a sister?"

Sofia shrugged and smiled. "He's okay. If the bow is blue, can I put it in his hair?"

"No," I laughed, sitting down on the foot of the bed. "He's a boy, so no bows, no pink, no sparkly crap, and don't even think about painting his nails. See, bud? I got your back."

"He might like pink," Bella said. "It _is_ a pretty color."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "If he likes pink, fine, but while he can't talk, I win this."

"Well, you just gotta have a girl next time," Sofia said matter-of-factly.

 _Fuck no_ , I thought. Bella and I had decided on no more kids, and I was perfectly happy with that. I had all I needed and probably more than I could handle, so Little One would just have to deal.

"We'll see." Bella smirked, holding her arms out as I passed him to her. "They are kind of addicting, after all."

"Traitor," I mouthed as she laughed, peppering his head with kisses.

"And they smell _incredible_ ," she added.

I looked over at the trash can, scoffing. "Yes . . . they smell _great_."

. . . . .

To give Bella and Owen some peace and quiet before our next round of visitors, I took Sofia down the street to a diner for lunch. Though I wasn't entirely happy with leaving, I _did_ wantsome alone time with my little girl. She'd been so incredible through this, so I fully intended to let her have however much ice cream she could eat.

Which was surprisingly more than you'd think.

"So, what do you really think of Owen?" I asked as she shoveled another spoonful of her fudge sundae into her mouth. "Life's going to be different now, but he'll never be more important than you."

"I know, Daddy. I love him already and I _know_ he loves me too. He smiled at me!" She grinned.

I didn't dare dash her belief of that, so I just nodded in agreement. "Just wait until he can talk, Little One. _Nothing_ made me happier than the first time you called me 'dada' and meant it."

"Isn't Owen your little one now?"

"Not a chance, baby." I shook my head, creasing my brow. "You'll _always_ be my little one — whether you're six or sixty. Owen doesn't change that, I promise."

"Good." She smiled as fudge dripped down her chin, making me laugh. I wasn't sure she could be any fucking cuter, to be honest. "I like being your little one, even though I'm a big sister now. I'm gonna be the best big sister ever."

"Oh, I have no doubts about that. Things will get back to normal once we get home. Well, our new normal, I guess."

"Do I hafta go to school Monday?"

I shook my head. "Nah, one day won't hurt, I guess. But you have to go Tuesday, all right? Hopefully Mommy and Owen will come home soon."

"Yay! she giggled, bouncing in her seat. "I _really_ hope they do because I want to show him my stuff."

"Stuff, huh? Are you planning on sharing?"

"Duh! That's what big sisters do. I'm gonna help Mommy take care of him, too."

My heart felt like it could explode with my love for this little girl. I was _so_ worried about her feeling left out or replaced, but I guess Bella and I must have done something right — probably Bella, to be fair. Little One seemed to make parenting easy sometimes with how quickly she adjusted, and I thanked God for that. She'd probably make up for going easy on me now with her teenage years — which I tried _very_ hard not to think about.

"You're already the best big sister in the world, baby girl." I smiled as I stole her spoon from her, receiving the _dirtiest_ look possible.

Apparently sharing was limited to her brother.

. . . . .

"You are going to break hearts, little boy," Rosalie said, caressing Owen's chubby cheek. "Watch you give your daddy a run for his money."

"Well, I mean, that's obvious," I laughed. "Girls will love him, just like they do me — like father like son."

Bella groaned, throwing her head back. "God, no. Don't even start talking about that! He's mine."

"Ben has _three_ girlfriends already, and he's only in the second grade," Emmett laughed. "It drives Rose nuts, but I think it's hilarious. He's quite the ladies man."

As I looked around the room, listening to the conversation about our children, I couldn't help but remember just a few years ago. If you'd asked me then if this would ever happen, I'd have laughed in your face. It just seemed too fucking bizarre that _this_ was our reality, but it also felt so right.

"So, um . . ." Alice said from her seat beside Bella, twiddling her thumbs. "We kind of have an announcement, and it seems like a good time to finally spill the beans."

"You've been approved for adoption?" Bella asked with a grin, reaching out for her best friend's hand.

Alice shook her head, smiling as tears filled her eyes. "No, but . . . I'm thirteen weeks pregnant."

"Holy shit," I said, looking at Jasper. "You didn't tell me?"

"I wasn't allowed to," he said. "We didn't want to tell people and then have something happen, you know?"

I nodded, smiling as I clasped my hand over his shoulder. "Congratulations, man. This is incredible."

"Alice," Bella cried. "I'm so mad you didn't tell me! But god, this is great! I'm so happy for you!"

Alice wiped her tears, leaning in to hug my wife. "I've wanted to tell you since I first found out, but . . . you know."

They'd suffered through three miscarriages before turning to adoption, so I wasn't surprised they'd waited until after the first trimester to announce. They'd both wanted nothing more than a family of their own, but it just didn't seem like a possibility. The losses had _killed_ them both, so the fact that it was finally successful . . . it was incredible.

"I know, Alice," Bella said. "So, were you trying?"

Jasper shook his head. "We'd given up, you know? This just came at the perfect time."

"What about adoption?" Rosalie asked, passing Owen to Emmett.

"We're not withdrawing our application," Alice said. "We want a big family and adoption is such an incredible thing, so we decided not to change our minds."

"That's wonderful," I said. "I'm _so_ happy for you both. You deserve it, and so much more."

"Thank you," Alice said, smiling. "Now, I want _that_ baby, Emmett."

"I just got him!" he groaned.

. . . . .

After a good hour of passing our son back and forth, everyone slowly left with a promise to stop in once more before we were discharged. We spent the next few hours trying to get some sleep, but around four, Owen's pediatrician stopped in to check on him. He said our son was doing incredible, but he wanted to keep him for a few days — which would most likely coincide with Bella's release. He was still doing great, but the doctor didn't want to take any chances, and I was perfectly fine with that.

Just moments after the pediatrician left, Charlie and Sue came through the door . . . with a shitload of food. I couldn't be sure, but I was pretty certain Bella was drooling as the smell wafted through the room.

"I've heard rumors that hospital food doesn't always taste good, so I wanted to bring you a home cooked meal," Sue said, handing a container to Bella. "Charlie said you love lasagna, so I hope you like this."

"Oh my god, it looks delicious!" Bella said, sniffing the damn container and moaning. "You didn't have to do this."

Sue shrugged, smiling. "I _wanted_ to. So . . . may I hold him?"

"Yes, of course!" she said. "Edward, give her the baby."

"You're trading our son for lasagna, huh?" I smirked, gently passing him to Sue. "That's cold, Nibbles."

She rolled her eyes, stabbing a fork into the food. "He's on loan, is all. Now, excuse me while I devour this."

"There's plenty for everyone, Edward," Sue said. "I promise I won't kidnap him, though . . . it _is_ tempting. He's gorgeous, you guys."

"I've got cute grandkids," Charlie said, grinning as I sat down and helped Sofia with her food.

While we ate, Sue and Charlie got more acquainted with Owen and the old man looked ready to steal the kid from her at one point. Compared to the other visits, this was just nice and relaxing — and the food was fucking delicious. Sue and Bella had gotten closer since they announced their engagement, and it made me so fucking happy to see everything falling into place with our lives.

Life was good . . . it was more than I could ever dream of.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: Forever Ever After**

"I'm suddenly nervous," Bella confessed as I secured Owen into the most ridiculously expensive — and safe — car seat we could find. I'd practiced buckling it up more times than I could count, but it wasn't as simple with shaky hands. "You are too, aren't you?"

"Uh . . . I'm scared shitless," I laughed nervously. "I just . . . we could probably convince Dr. Uley and Dr. Snow to keep you both another day."

She smiled softly, shaking her head. "I think we need to go home. Start this . . . parents of two thing. I didn't think I'd be terrified to bring him home, you know?"

"Yeah, me neither. We've got this, right?"

"Hell yeah we do," she giggled as I _finally_ got Owen buckled in. "See? Our first hurdle has been jumped. He's in."

I looked down at our wide-eyed son in the green and gray seat. He was swaddled, buckled, and Bella had laid a blanket over him too, just in case. Their discharge paperwork was done and we were free to leave whenever we were ready — which, I guess, was now. Suddenly five days in the hospital didn't seem too long.

Grabbing my jacket, I leaned down to kiss Bella. Her lips had this odd calming effect on me, it seemed, and I _needed_ that right now. Our new lives were starting . . . right now. We'd walk out of this hospital and there would be no nurses or doctors to reassure us, no extra hands when we needed some sleep, and no one but us to keep our son happy and healthy.

It was kind of fucking daunting.

"I love you, Nibbles," I said as we parted. "I'll go pull the car around and then be back up, all right?"

She nodded with a smile as she rocked the car seat. "Sounds good. I love you, too. So does Owen."

"Of course I love you too, Little Man." I smiled, kissing his forehead. "Here we go, huh?"

I about jogged through the parking lot to the car, wanting to get back to Bella and our son as soon as I could. Though Little One _begged_ to be a part of bringing Owen home, we made the tough decision to do this alone. Bella needed room in the backseat with Owen and if Little One and her booster seat were back there too, the forty-five minute drive would be cramped. We did let her skip school, though, and Charlie was at the house with her, waiting for us. It wasn't what she wanted, but it worked.

Once I pulled the car up to the main entrance and explained to the security guard what was going on, I headed back upstairs. Bella's nurse was in with her, helping her into the wheelchair. She was healing well from the surgery and hadn't had any complications, but she was still pretty worn out and sore, which was completely normal.

"Bags are in the car and it's waiting for us," I said, lifting Owen's car seat. "Are we ready?"

She nodded. "Yep, let's go figure out what the hell we're supposed to do next."

"I think that list is pretty long," I laughed as the nurse started pushing her out of the room.

I followed behind closely, holding onto the car seat with both hands. I wouldn't drop my kid, but . . . it was better to be safe, let's just say. Dropping the car seat was one of about five-thousand irrational fears I'd suddenly had, and it felt so fucking weird to be _scared_ — legitimately terrified. I'd gone through this with Sofia, so it wasn't like it was the first time, really. This part, though . . . it was. I hadn't watched Sofia come into the world, I hadn't stressed over bringing her home, and I hadn't _feared_ everything so much. I think. Fuck, I probably had, actually — just differently.

"Okay, he's, uh . . . he's secure," I said, straightening myself out before hunching over again and checking the belt once more. "Yeah, he's secure."

I tugged once more, just to be sure, before shutting the door and running back around to the other side. Bella stood from the wheelchair without waiting for my help, but did let me take her hand so she could climb up into her SUV. She quickly scooted into the middle, running her thumb over Owen's cheek as I shut the door and headed to the driver's side. Once settled, I tilted my mirror so I could see the one on the headrest in the back.

"He's still wide awake, isn't he?" I asked.

She looked up, smiling. "He's making those little grunts, too. But he's not a fussy baby, are you, sweetheart?"

She cooed to him as I just enjoyed the view for a minute, thinking back to almost six years ago.

 _"It's all right, sweetheart," Bella said, smiling and rubbing Sofia's tummy. "We're going to get you all cleaned up."_

 _"So you know babies?" I asked._

The memory hit me like a ton of bricks, and I was left with a smile on my face as I started the car. It seemed so long ago when Bella had rescued me with Little One — as if it were another life all together. She was so nurturing with Sofia, and yet had no reason to be. She welcomed us with open arms, effortlessly and with love.

It was just meant to be.

. . . . .

Pulling into our driveway, I felt both panic and relief. We'd made it without me crashing the car, but we were also _here_. It was the beginning of a new chapter in our lives and the moments that led up to it filled me with happiness.

"The first time we looked at this place, I didn't even consider that it'd turn into our home," I said, looking back at Bella.

"I know, but . . . it is. There's no place I'd rather be," she said. "I still remember right after we moved in, putting Sofia down and watching her toddle across the floor. She was still so new to walking and kept falling on her little butt. You'd freak out and she'd giggle."

"She was fucking fearless," I chuckled. "This place, though . . . it's a home because of you. You saw the beauty in it and we made it ours. It was an incredible beginning."

She smiled, nodding. "And now we have another beginning in it. I'm going to carry him, okay? Will you grab the car seat? We can get the bags later."

I shut off the car, pulling the key from the ignition. "Yeah, of course."

We walked through the front door together as my hand rested on the small of her back. Little One was quick to come running as our eyes fell on the blue streamers decorated haphazardly.

"Daddy! Mommy!" she squealed, running toward me. "I'm so glad you're home!"

I quickly let the car seat fall to the floor, catching her up in my arms. This little girl was the reason for my life today — for my life, period. If she hadn't been left in my apartment, a screaming, crying, pissing mess . . . Fuck, I would have never known what _true_ happiness was.

She was my everything.

"I see you decorated," I said, smirking as Charlie walked into the foyer. "Did you make Gampy get on a ladder?"

"Make?" he chuckled gruffly. "She just batted her eyes lashes and I was already up there, taping the streamers."

Little One smiled a little _too_ sweetly. "I wanted to make it pretty!"

"It's so _very_ pretty, sweet girl," Bella said. "How about you help me get Owen changed, and then we'll come back down? I smell lunch."

"We made Mac and cheese and hot dogs!" she said. "Can I hold him?"

"Once we get up upstairs." Bella smiled, holding her free hand out. "I'm sure Owen can't _wait_ to see his room."

. . . . .

Charlie stayed for lunch, but left not long after to give us time alone. We found ourselves in our bedroom — Sofia holding Owen as Bella curled against my chest, smiling contentedly. Little One was _so_ gentle with her brother, holding him securely, though the pillows around her did most of the work.

"He yawns a lot," she said, looking up at us. "Is it his bedtime?"

"Maybe nap time," I said. "He's had a _very_ exciting day, after all."

Before we ate lunch, Little One took Owen on a tour of the house — having Bella follow her with him to each room. She was such a damn good big sister already, wanting to show him everything and asking over and over if he needed anything. When Bella fed him, Sofia was right next to them waiting with an extra burp rag and asking question after question.

I thought Bella would get annoyed by the nonstop questioning, but she didn't — not even a little. She explained _everything_ to Little One, thrilled that our daughter took such an interest. Once again, I was reminded of how Bella taught _me_ everything.

She was a mother, right from the start.

Our day was filled with naps, dirty diapers, and feedings, but . . . it was perfect. It felt complete, to be honest. My little family stayed on our bed all day, watching our newest addition as he slept and shit himself. Little One even dubbed his poop face as _cute_. I mean . . . he was a cute kid, but I wouldn't go _that_ far.

"I _might_ be biased, but I think we have the cutest kids in the world," Bella whispered to me, looking at Sofia between us — passed out peacefully — and Owen doing the same on her chest.

I shook my head, smiling. "I don't think it's biased. I mean, it's the truth. They're pretty fucking adorable, and they're _ours_ , Bella — both of them."

As I watched her kiss Owen's little head, another memory came rushing back to me.

 _"Are you okay?" Bella asked as we stood in the elevator._

 _I pressed my lips to the top of her head. "Yeah," I sighed. "Just . . . hurt for Little One."_

 _"Well, I love her more than anything in the world and I always will. She'll have us."_

 _I smiled some, nodding. "Yes, she will. You're a wonderful mother Bella_ _—_ _better than I ever could have hoped for my daughter . . . for our daughter."_

"They're _both_ ours," I repeated as she looked up at me, cocking her head. "I just . . . Without you, Sofia wouldn't be such a great kid. I will never, _ever_ be able to thank you enough for wanting her to be yours, too."

She smiled softly, resting her head on my shoulder as I held her tighter. "There was never a choice, Edward. The love I feel for Owen is _no different_ than the love I feel for Sofia. It was never about wanting her to be mine because, well . . . she always was — and she always will be. Thank _you_ for letting me call her mine and for giving me another child."

"I love you," I said, titling her chin and pressing my lips to hers. "I love you more than anything."

"I love you, too," she said. "Why don't you hold him, hmm? Sofia's been a little of a baby hog since we've been home, after all."

She gently lifted Owen from her chest, passing him to me. I looked down at my son, and my heart felt so fucking _full_. This . . . this was happiness.

. . . . .

"Shhh, we don't want to wake up Mommy," I whispered, swaying as I held Owen to my chest.

He screamed and I _knew_ it wouldn't be long before Bella woke up, so I quickly left our bedroom, heading for the nursery. She'd just fallen asleep after feeding him and she needed to rest before he wanted her boob once more, so I quickly got up with him before she could.

"What's got you so upset, Little Man?" I asked, sitting down in the rocking chair. "I know you're full and your diaper's clean, so what do you need?"

I felt another surge of fear rush through me as he continued to scream. It'd been so damn long since I was up in the middle of the night with a pissed off child, but I'd always managed to calm Little One down, hadn't I? Or maybe my voice just bored her into silence.

"I used to talk to your sister a lot as a baby," I said, patting his back as I rocked. "I called her my therapist, even. You know, she's who I went to when I needed to discuss my relationship with your mother."

 _"So, I kissed Bella today," I said. "She said she liked it, but I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm not a . . . relationship kind of person, but I think I could be for her. She's great, right? You like her. Part of me is just afraid I'll lose her as a friend if this doesn't work out, and I don't want that."_

 _"I think I might love Bella, and I think I'm afraid I'll get close and it won't work out."_

 _"So, do you have any advice for me about Bella?" I laughed._

 _"I'm thinking when she gets back, the first thing I have to do is apologize."_

I smiled at the memories, knowing there were dozens more, too. "I might have abused the whole, silent therapist thing with your sister, actually," I chuckled. "But I mean, now I have you. I'm sorry, but you're going to hear _a lot_ of rambling."

He gurgled, burying his head in my chest as his sobs eased. I rubbed his back, trying to think of what to say to him. There was so much, really. He had a hell of a lot of stories to hear — both good and bad. But really, I only wanted to talk about one person still, it seemed.

"I met your mother in a hallway as she tried to open her apartment door," I started, smiling as I recalled the day. "I was an idiot and didn't realize what she'd be to me, but I _like_ to think I made up for it. Owen, you have the most _loving_ and _caring_ mother in the whole world. And I mean, she's the most gorgeous as well, but I won't go into detail about that. I could, though. I could talk about her legs forever and that nice a—"

"You'll _never_ learn about the monitor, will you?"

My head snapped up, finding Bella in the doorway with a smile on her face as she held up the damn device. I shook my head, patting Owen's back as I smirked.

"To be fair, that thing shouldn't even be on. You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

She laughed, nodding as she walked into the nursery. "Well . . . I knew you'd bring him in here if he woke up and I _kind of_ wanted to see if you'd talk to him, like you did Sofia."

"You spied on us a lot, didn't you?"

She sat down on the foot rest, shrugging as she reached out and laid her hand on Owen's back, joining mine. "Only here and there. I guess some things never change, do they?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "No, I suppose they don't. Then again, with all the changing we've done over the years, it's nice that a few things stay consistent."

"Like your love of the word fuck?"

"And your secret love of the nickname Nibbles?" I grinned.

She rolled her eyes. "I refuse to confirm or deny that. Now, why don't we take him back into the bedroom?"

"You go. I . . . I have a few more things to tell him."

There were more than a few things, but I had time. I had the _rest_ of my life to talk to Owen and Sofia about their amazing mother, and I fully planned on never stopping.

"Our story begins with an F word," I said, kissing Owen's head as Bella pulled the door closed. "Family . . ."

* * *

Once upon a time, I posted a little story about a manwhore, a baby, and a new girl. What resulted was more than I ever could have imagined. I found friends and support that fill my heart with joy, and I have to thank you _all_ for that. Thank you for taking the time to read, to review, and to say a few words to a friend. Just . . . thank you all.

 **Again, I'm so sorry I pulled these stories. They belong here to be read by you.**


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